


Tale of Love and Blood

by Rainpebbles



Series: Mutant 'Verse [4]
Category: Mutant X, Shadowhunters (TV), The Shadowhunter Chronicles - All Media Types
Genre: "science", Action/Adventure, Angst, Cliffhangers, Everyone Gets Hurt!, F/M, First Time, Hurt Alec Lightwood, Hurt Magnus Bane, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Magnus Bane Backstory, Manipulative Camille Belcourt, Mutant Powers, Not as bad as usual though, Slow-ish burn, Valentines Serum
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-22
Updated: 2019-09-14
Packaged: 2019-11-03 19:28:03
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 49,699
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17883800
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rainpebbles/pseuds/Rainpebbles
Summary: Only a few weeks after their big mission, it almost seems like they've all reached a pinnacle of the honeymoon phase. But when all seems happy and calm, internal and external forces suddenly seem hell bent on ripping apart the new team and the newly formed couples within.  Valentine has a plan and he's using every resource available to get what he wants, no matter the damage it causes. Meanwhile, a mysterious illness takes hold of Clary and Magnus deals with the demons of his past.Just because their love is perfect, does not mean that everything else will come easy.





	1. Vendetta

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome back everyone!!!! New story and a new chapter, a great start to a Friday :) 
> 
> I'm both excited as well as nervous for this story. It's my longest one so far, so I'm pumped about that. Already at 70k. But I'm not done yet...that's the scary part. Another scary part is that this is a tad more...dark than I'm used to writing. Not to mention I'm sure a lot of you have noticed the tags as well as the rating change, so that adds a whole new dynamic to the series that I'm always a little "shy" about. So we'll see how it all goes I guess!

Several lazy weeks had rolled by ever since the team of mutants had returned home from their mission to the forests of Maine. Well, lazy for them anyway. There were still plenty more missions to go around, however they tended to fall under boring to easy on the scale of difficulty that Simon had come up with and explained in overabundant detail during one of their dinners. Simon’s pizza had gone cold by the time he had finished, the cheese congealed in to a solid paste that clung to the tongue. On a scale of 1-10, easy was a 3 or below and didn’t involve any sort of violence, but it did require interaction with others outside of their team. At least that’s what Magnus could remember from the ten-page handout, that and the many diagrams involved. Boring was equivalent to a level 1, and often contained only research and paperwork. Hardly a ‘mission’ if you asked Magnus, but Simon insisted that the behind the scenes work should be taken just as seriously as the wham and bam stuff.

It ranged from things like Simon’s level 1 ‘mission’ to find new safehouses for a mutant crew whose last place was under suspicion from Circle Corp after the ice elemental had accidentally turned it in to a giant ice cube in front of mundane humans to wiping electronic trails of newly hidden mutants. The level 2 missions were a little more involved, like when Isabelle and Luke did a reconnaissance of a potential mutant spotting that turned out to be some kids lighting fireworks in the woods. And the level 3s were that like the time Jace and Alec were assigned to escort the ice cube occupants to their new home as bodyguards.

_With a smirk on his face, Jace had asked if their rescue of the girls over a month ago was ranked a 10, thinking that he’d already gotten an impressive notch under his belt, but his face fell and eyes bugged out when Simon reported that it would only qualify as a solid 8._

_“It only reached an 8 because Alec was unconscious during part of the escape. Injury or incapacitation always takes the level up by one. And it was ranked as a 7 in the first place because there was actually a plan in place. If there was no plan, difficulty level goes up by two. Make sense?” Simon said, his voice erring on the side of impatience since no one at the table had seemed to grasp the math behind it all yet, all of them staring at him blankly while slowly chewing their pizza._

_“Wait, so if we had a level 9 mission, but had no plan for it we could have a level 11?” Isabelle asked as she snagged the crust from Jace’s plate, knowing her brother didn’t ever eat it. His loss._

_Simon’s gesticulating hands froze midair as he thought about it, his finger snapping as soon as the lightbulb went off in his head, “No, because level 10 mission is truly the all-encompassing worst-case scenario. No plan, injuries and incapacitations, risk of death or capture, already containing a death or capture, Circle Corp involved, Valentine involved, etc. Level 10 is the cap to the scale and it’s going to stay that way!”_

So, if they were going by Simon’s scale, the team had only gotten 1-3 levels in the last month and in Magnus’ honest opinion, they needed the break.

After the rather traumatizing mission to Maine, Alec had come down with a cold, something that he had been dreading if not expecting after his pod and great outdoors experience. It had only lasted a week, but Magnus had stuck by him through all three boxes of tissues, several packets of cold meds, and lots of lessons on how to make Alec’s special medicinal tea.

At first Alec had felt mortified at being sick in front of Magnus so soon after their mutual love confessions, not wanting to ruin the recent heavy mood that had come over the two of them. After all, it’s not like a runny nose and wet cough was anything attractive in the Elemental’s eyes. However, Magnus had found himself unable to think of anything involving Alec as unattractive in any way.

He had swooned over Alec’s red tipped nose, telling him how adorable it made him look. Then Alec’s voice had become gravelly and low as his cold reached his chest, and Magnus coo-ed over how sexy it sounded.

And as Alec’s cold hit it’s crescendo with a mild fever one night, Magnus had stayed with him the entire time wiping back sweat soaked bangs and whispering soft words in to his ears to keep any bad dreams at bay. 

Although Magnus had been able to feel Alec’s initial embarrassment over his illness, he didn’t let it distance him from the Elemental, instead Magnus took the opportunity to shower him with all the love and care he could. As the initial embarrassment faded away, what took its place was a huge gratitude and wave after wave of adoration and love that filled the spaces between them, and Magnus was glad he didn’t pull away just because Alec was feeling shy.

Magnus wanted nothing more at this point to blanket Alec with every ounce of love he had, reveling in the newest step in their relationship. After hearing from the others about his Psychic episode that had taken out over a dozen agents and several Ferals, he found himself shocked and amazed that Alec hadn’t even been fazed by what was undoubtedly a terrifying display. And then only hours later saying that he loved Magnus…it was enough to set a thousand butterflies loose in his stomach just thinking about it.

Along with his new habit of fiddling with an acorn in his pocket, something Magnus had never envisioned himself doing, he now had a new favorite pastime. Psychically feeling up Alec.

It sounded way dirtier than it really was, but Magnus wasn’t about to give it another name just because of that. If anything, it made it even more fun.

 It started when Alec had given Magnus full reign over his mind, telling him that he didn’t need to bother shielding himself from seeing anything Alec was feeling, that he had nothing to hide. And while Magnus had been hesitant at first to take advantage of such an incredible offer, he couldn’t stop after the first time he had gently caressed Alec’s aura and felt the radiating feeling of love that was like a drug to the Psychic.

Alec had told him one day when they lay in his spot in the forest, a few days after he had recovered, that he could now feel and recognize Magnus’ presence in his mind. At first Magnus had been a little embarrassed, thinking of how many times he’d checked in there so far that morning, but Alec had assured him that he enjoyed it, that it he got lonely when Magnus pulled away. So, Magnus not being able to leave his new boyfriend lonely, took the preexisting link between them and left it as an open channel in his mind at all times.

Then a new game had started between them as Magnus had told Alec that he could feel when the Elemental was purposefully trying to push emotions back at him. From there it was like a psychic game of ping-pong had formed between the two, each taking turns sending different emotions back and forth in some odd new form of communication.

It was a bit handy beyond their need to constantly remind the other of their adoration. At least that’s what they tried to stammer out once Isabelle caught on to their game and started teasing the two blushing men.

Like when Alec sent him a push of confusion one day while he was supposed to be taking inventory of the weapons closet. Prompted by the emotion, Magnus went to find him standing in the hallway looking lost and hesitantly running his hands over the surfaces. Turns out he had no idea where the weapons closet was and still was struggling with all of the sliding doors that were identical to the walls around them. Of course, Magnus directed him to the correct place, hiding his amusement all the way there.

Or when Magnus pushed wordlessly a feeling of cold and need at Alec while they were both just beginning to fall asleep on a chilly winter night, the just barely conscious Elemental rolling over to drape himself over the Psychic effectively warming him inside and out without having to speak and bring them both out of their sleepy daze.

With their revelations of love and their new connection came something else, something that felt like trying to control a stampede of bulls with only a thin rope of control.

It had only become an issue by the time his cold finally went away and Alec’s fears of transferring germs through kisses had lifted, leaving them both gripping tight to said thin rope of control.

Lust.

Oh, Magnus had been plenty attracted to Alec the second he had laid eyes on him, and of course being human with needs he’d felt sexual urges many times in the last few months that ranged from innocent to down right filthy gutter spawned desires. Those first few make out sessions had become fantasy fodder that had barely kept Magnus’ appetite sated, but until now he hadn’t felt anything as raw coming from Alec and it was like dumping gasoline on a campfire.

The once casual brushes of their hands while passing the salt and pepper at dinner had suddenly become heated, the small contact of skin making Magnus clear his throat and adjust in his chair and Alec blush profusely, much to the discomfort of everyone else at the table. Sharing a bed each night had become the norm, switching back and forth between Alec’s serene developing green house and Magnus’ posh comforts, but even that was slowly losing its purity as they would wake aching for each other.

And why haven’t they fully acted out their desires?

Well, it sure as hell wasn’t by choice. Not to start with anyway.

* * *

 

The first time that they had caved in to the pressure building between the two of them, they’d been in the library. Alec had been trying to build a collection of useful plants and seeds to keep on hand for missions, which required quite a bit of research that Magnus was only too happy to assist with. For a few hours they would go back and forth from the table to the bookshelves, every once in a while, glancing heatedly at the other over the rim of their covers before ducking back behind the printed words. When Alec had gotten up for his fifth book, he spent a little bit longer by the shelves as he stole glances of Magnus back at the table, biting at his bottom lip.

The sight somehow made Alec’s mouth water as he thought about being the one to bite it later. He blushed and pushed down the growing warmth in his belly as he remembered that Magnus could probably feel Alec becoming distracted, and then bent down to scan for a new book towards the shelves along the floor.

What Alec didn’t know was that Magnus had been watching him too out of the corner of his eye, too distracted by his own thoughts as he stared at Alec bent over to even notice the other man’s own yearning. It wasn’t until Magnus got up as well to grab another book for himself that they’re eyes met and that thin rope of control slipped through both their fingers.

Alec’s hands surged forward to grab at Magnus’ neck to yank him forward into a crushing kiss that Magnus only too eagerly returned. Tongues battled, lips clumsily slid against each other, hands frantically roaming over shoulders and arms…It was amazing, but it wasn’t enough!

Magnus let out a low growl and slammed Alec back the last foot until he had the Elemental pushed up against the bookshelf, sending several books falling to the floor around them. The sounds of them hitting the floor muffled by the moans emerging from the two men.

Alec’s hands couldn’t seem to make up their minds on where they wanted to grab on to. They slid from his neck down to his shoulders, holding him in place, but then that didn’t seem to be close enough for him, so the hands slid to Magnus’ back pulling him flush against Alec’s chest. Seemingly content with the proximity for the moment, his hands had then travelled up to Magnus’ hair, tugging gently on the longer threads as the Psychics lips moved from his own and down to his neck.

By the time that Magnus had ducked down to latch on to the small patch of exposed collarbone hidden under far too much sweater, Alec’s hands had once again begun to roam as his breathing became erratic. In his head Alec’ kept hearing himself thinking, more, more, more, but he had no idea what the more was, he just knew he wanted something.

An impatient whine made its way past his lips, making Magnus chuckle against his skin, and Alec didn’t even think when his hands had found there way to toned hips and tugged them forward to crash in to his own. Suddenly they both became very aware of the effect that this was having on the other, a flash of ‘well this is new’ and ‘we haven’t gotten this far before’ ran through both their minds.

Magnus’ mouth went dry and he thought frantically, _Do I ask him if he wants to keep going? Do I ask him if he wants to go back to his room to continue? Do I stop this until we’ve talked about things?_

Magnus himself was %100 on board with continuing, but he never got the chance to even decide on what to ask before the both jumped apart at the sound of someone else entering the library. They were both hidden behind a few bookshelves, so Simon’s and Clary’s voices as they walked in weren’t nearly as threatening as their hearts slowed down from the erratic pace they had set.

He was about to open his mouth to alert the others of their presence when he felt something emanating off of Alec’s aura that made him pause. The heated lust was still there, but it was fading a little since being interrupted, nothing surprising there. No, it was the small touch of relief that made Magnus pause.

Why was Alec relieved at them being interrupted?

_Well, perhaps Alexander just wasn’t quite ready yet,_ he thought to himself, not with a hint of upset. If Alec wasn’t quite ready for that step between them, then Magnus would be glad to wait if it meant they were both comfortable. So, from that point on, Magnus decided to let Alec take the lead in where they went with their passionate moments.  

But even with that decision made, with what Magnus had thought would be a onetime interruption occurrence turned in to a pattern, or more like a vendetta against his satisfaction.

A hot and sweaty sparring session in the dojo with Alec pinning Magnus to the reed mats that led to one of Magnus’ now favorite fantasies to dwell on in the shower had been ruined by Jace coming in and asking if Alec wanted to spot him for weights. As Magnus watched Alec nod and get up from the mat, lips still red from their activities and his thankfully loose sweatpants hiding any other evidence, he gave Alec another quick scan. The relief was still there, but there was also a small hint of disappointment that hadn’t been there the first time. Magnus saw it as progress and couldn’t find it in himself to be upset that Alec was needing a little more time to adjust to their blossoming relationship. He couldn’t help but wonder what may have happened if Jace hadn’t interrupted them though.

Magnus didn’t start thinking it was a pattern until the next time when they’d been watching a movie late at night on the couch, all others having gone to bed hours earlier, and they found themselves somewhat distracted from the plot and more focused on the almost empty bowl of popcorn sitting in Alec’s lap. Perhaps Magnus could have been a little more gentle in trying to grab at the last few kernels left, but the blush that was rising on Alec’s cheekbones had been far to lovely to get him to stop. Magnus could feel the pressure in the air between them, and knew that Alec was mere moments away from dumping the bowl and launching himself across the couch…that was until Simon had gotten up for a midnight snack and heard the Marvel movie playing, racing in to the room and asking them to restart it and offering to cook more popcorn in exchange. This time the relief was in balance with the disappointment, and Magnus let himself begin to hope that they were almost there.

The vendetta status arose after the warehouse garage incident. Magnus knew next to nothing about engines, machinery and tools. He could drive most vehicles thanks to Luke’s training, but as far as mechanics of them he was at a loss. Most of them were, actually, so Alec and Jace had begun to take it upon themselves to learn everything they could in order to keep their extensive collection of transportation in working condition. Having chosen to keep Alec company while he dug through the engine of one of their jeeps may have been an oversight on Magnus’ part, after all, he had no idea just how arousing a grease and sweat covered Alec in a tank would be.

He may not have let Alec take the lead on that one, in fact he may have been the one to pin the taller man to the hood of the jeep after slamming it closed, and he may have been the first to move his hips in a grinding motion, making Alexander moan appreciatively under him. So really, this may have been Magnus’ fault, especially by not remembering that Alec had an appointment with Underhill around that time.

Still, as an amused and apologetic Underhill walked off with a very embarrassed Elemental, Magnus couldn’t help the smile that crept on his face as he quickly reached out his senses. The disappointment finally was more prominent than the relief. Magnus let a sultry grin tilt his lips.

Vendetta indeed.


	2. Vendetta

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alec and Magnus "Talk"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, somewhere between the last story and this one we picked at least 100 new readers! Welcome to the Mutant 'Verse guys! And a friendly "hullo!" to all those who've stuck with me from the start! Y'all are amazing!
> 
> Gonna have a few chapters of fluff/plot mixes. Call it Pluff, or Flot, that's what you're gonna get. Enjoy! :)

“How was todays’ lesson? Any angry acorns that I need to watch out for?” Magnus asked as he carefully wiped away the last smudges of eyeshadow. It may have only been early evening, but Magnus wanted nothing more than to spend the rest of it in bed with Alexander, and he didn’t want to smudge his pillows while doing so. He could see from his vanity mirror Alec’s reflection of where he lay casually sprawled on his bed, book on plane engines held deftly in his hands despite how large it was. He noted how lovely the red silk of his bedspread looked against Alexander’s skin and made a mental note to look in to sneaking a few red items to Alec’s closet.

Alec chuckled softly and glanced up from the pages with a wry smile, “No angry acorns. Just passive aggressive pinecones.”

Magnus paused mid swipe and turned his head to regard his boyfriend curiously, “Really?” he hedged.

This time Alec let out a loud laugh, the one that made Magnus' stomach do happy flips, as he shook his head, “No, we spent most of the time talking about recognizing limits. He wants to make sure I learn how to avoid collapsing from low blood sugar sometime soon, it’s concerning to him and Luke.”

With his face completely wiped clean, Magnus got up from the stool and sauntered over to the bed, letting his robe hang open over his sleep pants. He crawled up on the mattress, moving over to Alec and placing his knees on either side of the Elemental’s hips as he hovered over him. Gently he reached out to tip up Alexander’s chin so that their eyes met. The book lay completely forgotten in Alec’s lap as he stared up at the beautiful man before him.

“It concerns me as well. It pains me to see you driven to the edge so much,” Magnus admitted quietly.

A small flicker of a smile ran across Alec’s lips before turning serious again, “I know, and I’m sorry for making you all worry so much. I promise you that I’m working on it,” he said, his own hand grabbing at Magnus’ beneath his chin and bringing it up to his lips to kiss the soft skin.

Somewhat appeased, Magnus nodded, “Good, now tell me what else you worked on,” he said, his voice sounding casual, but his hands were telling a different story as he started to run them slowly up and down Alec’s chest, ignoring the way that the fabric would start to ride up with his movements.

Alec flushed, “Uh, we talked about different types of um, natural sources that I can draw from,” he said, his breath hitching when Magnus’ talented hands brushed over a clothed nipple, “And, we talked about intentional vs. unintentional energy usage,” his abs rippled as a ring caught for a brief moment on the edge of his jeans, “A-and, um natural energy sources…”

Magnus chuckled, the noise sending Alec’s heart fluttering in his chest, “You already said natural energy sources, Darling.”

“R-right, uh, can we stop talking now?” Alec asked, his hands hovering so close to Magnus' hips that he could feel the heat radiating off of each digit.

“Oh? Is there something you’d rather be doing?” Magnus teased with a raised eyebrow.

Alec opened his mouth as if to immediately reply ‘yes’, but then he paused and shut it, eyes casting down and to the side where he could look at the floor. Worried, Magnus quickly did a scan, sensing a lot of things at once. Doubt, shame, anxiety, lust, want, need, worry… Immediately Magnus pulled back, worrying that maybe he was pushing too hard to fast. In a second he was already moving off of Alec’s hips and sitting beside the Elemental, feeling the disappointment and humiliation at the action that toppled on top of everything that was already running through Alec’s mind.  

He hated the feelings that were coming from Alec, hated that he caused them, but he would never forgive himself if he had ignored the emotions that he was sensing, “Alexander, look at me please,” Magnus said gently, waiting patiently for Alec to pull his gaze from the floor and hesitantly bring it to meet the Psychics, “I think we need to have ‘the talk’ don’t you?”

And now confusion on top of all that.

“The talk?”

Magnus nodded as he got more comfortable next to Alec, both of them now laying with their backs propped up on the pillows. Sensing an awkwardness fall over the two of them, Alec’s fingers started to fidget with the silk sheets beneath them only stilling when Magnus lay his hand on top. A heaviness fell over the room, dampening the lightness that had been flowing between them only moments before.

“The talk, Alexander, the one where you and I communicate about what we are and are not comfortable doing together physically, as well as talking about where we want to see ‘us’ going. Surely you’ve had this talk before with someone?” Magnus said with a chuckle that died very quickly as Alec’s eyes widened before falling to his lap in shame.

Oh.

Honestly, Magnus was a little ashamed at himself for not putting two and two together much sooner than this and he kicked himself mentally for not stopping for a second and thinking with his useless northern head for long enough to realize what Alec’s hesitance may mean. He could feel Alexander drowning next to him in to a deep pit of self-loathing and shame and Magnus was trying his best to think of some sort of life preserver to toss in after him.

Before Alec could fall any further, Magnus reached out to cup the side of his face that was looking away from him, gently guiding it back until he could duck his head to meet those lovely hazel eyes he adored.

“Hey, it’s okay. It’s just me you’re talking to right now, and there’s nothing to be ashamed about. Nothing. You just have to tell me what’s on your mind, Angel,” he whispered, placing a soft kiss to his temple.

Alec bit his lip, his nervous energy giving Magnus goosebumps over his bare chest.

“It’s not that I don’t want to do anything, it’s actually the opposite really. I want to do anything you want to do. It’s just that…I don’t even know how to do anything. Hell, I don’t even really know what ‘anything’ is. I don’t want to look like an idiot in front of you because I spent the last few years too busy surviving and never got a chance to, you know, live. Does that make sense?” Alec asked.

Magnus nodded, understanding completely even around his momentary shock, “So, when Isabelle told me that I should ask you about your previous relationships…she really meant to ask about your…lack of previous relationships. Do I have that about right?” he prodded gently.

Alec gave a short nod.

“And I’m only asking this because I wish to clarify, it’s not a judgement. Have you ever done anything with another person?” Magnus asked.

This time Alec shook his head miserably, “No. That kiss in the meditation room…was my first.”

This was a little shocking for Magnus for a small moment, having no idea how someone as beautiful as Alec had not been scooped up by at least one person along the way. But then again, Alexander was a master at blending in to the background due to his many years of hiding on the streets, away from the police and Circle agents. Not to mention Alec’s utter devotion to protecting and providing for his family above all else.

Somehow Magnus couldn’t picture him sneaking off and leaving his siblings for a quick meet up at a bar, or using their small extra bits of cash for a date. He certainly didn’t picture him bringing anyone home, not after finding him in that little shack on the dock all those months ago. Magnus could slap himself for not seeing it sooner, to distracted or blinded by his own desires. He should never have assumed anything in this day and age really, after all not everyone made it a personal goal to have lost their virginity by a certain age. Alec should be glad he didn’t ‘get it over with’ just to put a check mark on some list of invisible milestones.

As gently as he could, Magnus pulled Alec’s face up to meet his, staring deeply in to the hazel there, “Well, for a first kiss I must say bravo, you’re certainly a natural. Even I couldn’t tell!” he said with a smirk.

Alec snorted, finally letting his lips tug in to a reluctant grin. This time when Magnus felt the relief fall around Alec, he was glad for its presence, “And don’t push yourself to do ‘anything’ you aren’t comfortable with. Just do what feels good at whatever pace you want, and I can help guide you if you want it. Fair?”

With no sense of hesitance, Magnus fully opened the channel between them, letting Alec feel everything that he was feeling, an assurance that there was no judgement, no lie, and that he didn’t love him any less than before. Finally, the shame and doubt lifted and Alec gave a gentle push back.

_Thank you. I love you._

Somehow, having those emotions caress across his mind was even more fulfilling than hearing the words. The heaviness in the room finally lifted, and with it the two men on the bed started to feel the proximity between them like a magnetic pull, the compatible force between them too much to resist as it fought constantly to pull them together. With a careless toss, Alec threw his book to the side and lunged those last three inches between them, pushing Magnus back against the pillows and crawling on top of him much in the same way Magnus had been moments earlier.

Practically preening under the solid weight of Alexander on top of him, Magnus eagerly reciprocated the hungry kiss with all the passion he could muster. Everything felt perfect, the taste of his lips as he nipped at him, the softness of his skin he touched as he kissed along his neck, the silky feel of his hair as he carded his fingers through it, and the feel of Alec’s hands pulling him closer.

Magnus could feel the pure _want_ coming from both of them, the channel still open so that no words were needed to know that both of them were very okay with the proceedings thus far. It wasn’t long until Magnus felt the first nudge of something that was definitely not Alec’s knee against what was also definitely not Magnus’ knee. Even that small contact sent a shock of pleasure riding up his spine that he knew Alec felt too.

“Do you want to…you know, try some of that ‘anything’ we were talking about earlier?” Alec asked breathlessly as he pulled back from Magnus’ neck for a moment, leaving behind a small bruise in his wake.

Unable to form words around his excitement, he nodded and sent a push of eagerness at him, making Alec grin and duck back down to continue his delectable work at Magnus’ neck.

Then the horrifying sound of a phone ringing interrupted their quiet moans.

“You going to get that?” Alec asked, still not lifting his head from where he was now enjoying Magnus’ collar bone thoroughly.

“Fuck no, keep going. It’s probably just Simon asking if we want to come watch a movie with them. He’ll get the idea if I don’t answer,” Magnus replied, sighing as Alec found a patch of skin that made him tingle down to his toes.

“You sure?”

Magnus growled and pushed up from the pillows to flip their positions, pinning Alec’s shoulder’s down to the mattress as if to prevent any chances of him leaving, “Very sure,” and he grabbed hold of Alec’s swollen bottom lip with his teeth to keep him from saying otherwise. This new position felt equally as wonderful, but Magnus didn’t want to make Alec feel trapped or overwhelmed, so he kept on his knees.

Alec though did not seem as thrilled with the distance and wrapped his legs around those toned hips, pulled down until their groins rubbed up against each other. Both of them released loud groans that any nearby Feral probably would have heard. Magnus had only been wearing sleep pants, so the contact was near bliss even though Alec still wore his jeans.

Then another horrifying sound echoed around the room as Alec’s phone started to go off.

They both paused to stare angrily at the phone where it sat vibrating on the nightstand.

“Still think it’s Simon?” Alec asked.

Magnus wanted to say yes, but he knew better than to ignore both phones ringing knowing what their jobs were. With a petulant whine, Magnus pulled off of Alec and let the Elemental reach over to grab the offending object and put it to his ear.

“Hello?”

_He sounds breathless, good. Maybe they’ll let us get back to what, or rather who I was doing,_ Magnus thought smugly.

Alec listened for a moment before sighing and pinching the bridge of his nose, “Yeah, Magnus is with me…Mhm…Short mission, you say?...Yeah, I can go too…fifteen minutes?” he glanced at Magnus and raised an eyebrow.

The Psychic made a sour face and huffed, but got up from the bed and stomped over to his closet, angrily flipping through his hangars.

Alec chuckled, “Yeah, we’ll be ready to go.”

_Fucking vendetta, he knew it._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't hate, y'all. We're getting there, I promise! There will be more "interactions" to "come" in this story, all spread out, lol <3


	3. Doubt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jace shares his doubts with Alec.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am soooooo sorry I missed last weeks post. I have been out of this world busy with work and didn't have a spare second to do anything, not even edit a chapter. I'm definitely trying to keep up with the once a week posting, but I seriously need to start figuring out when I have time to write o.O 
> 
> One small Clace chapter here, but fear not! The next several chapters will be very Malec heavy, I promise!

Chapter 3

Fourteen minutes later Alec walked in to the warehouse hangar, straightening his jacket from where the collar had folded out of place thanks to Magnus’ one last attempt to keep Alec in his room a little longer. Even now the smile remained on his face as he laughingly tried to pry the frustrated Psychic off of him. He still beyond surprised and relieved to know that Magnus didn’t mind his lack of experience and that there was no pressure on Alec to do or not do anything at this point, really it was a weight off his shoulder that he’d been carrying for a while now.

Luke had given him a very brief summary of the mission he and Magnus had been assigned, and they’d probably be done within a few hours so he didn’t mind it much. Plus, it was just down in the city so they would be allowed to take Magnus’ motorcycle, something Alec had been looking forward to for a long time.

Quickly he spotted said bike sitting over in the east corner of the hangar, standing out even amongst Luke’s impressive collection of bikes that he kept stowed over there. Alec knew next to nothing about motorcycles, but even he was impressed by the design. Walking up to it now he let out a low whistle as he gently ran his fingers over the leather seat and the perfectly waxed and shiny exterior. Well, yeah it was shiny, but maybe sparkly would be a better word. The entire thing was a glittery black with gold embellishments, and it just screamed _Magnus._

“Kawasaki H2R, custom paint job, 310 horsepower and can reach up to 249 mph, and remains the fastest and most powerful production motorcycle on the market.”

Alec jumped at Jace’s sudden voice, turning to see his brother lounging on one of the chairs kept by the maintenance desk, one leg casually hung over the arm rest.

Shaking off the shock at seeing him there, Alec turned back to him with his arms crossed over his chest, “Impressive, you already memorized all the bike specs? I haven’t even gotten through half the manuals yet. I’m still trying to get the helicopter motor done.”

Jace shrugged, “What can I say, I’m brilliant… And having the manual sitting right next to me helps a bit too,” he said, slapping the cover which indeed sat next to his left arm, “Magnus asked me to take a look at replacing a brake pad, so I’ve been giving it a full diagnostic since finishing that. Everything should be perfect for your little date night.”

Alec rolled his eyes playfully, “You know it’s not a date. We’re just heading down to the city to meet up and talk with some new mutants and then we’re coming straight back and going to bed.”

“Sounds like a double date to me, especially the second part.”

Shaking his head, Alec walked over to the desk and sat down on the edge, pushing aside a large stack of manuals to give himself room. Jace immediately threw his legs up on to Alec’s lap, despite it making him sink even further back in the chair.

It had been a while since he’d gotten to talk to Jace alone, both of them caught up in their respective romances. He missed Jace, even though they still technically lived together, worked together and ate almost every meal together. Hell, if Alec did the math, he probably was spending more time with his siblings now than they did while on the run, all holding down separate jobs during the day. It was somehow different now though, walls between them at night, other people involved in their conversations, more people sharing the meal, and more people to care about then just the three of them. However, even with the quantity of time increasing, the quality of it seemed to lessen.

Not for a second did Alec regret them coming here and joining the team, but that didn’t stop him from missing some aspects of their past life. He feared losing that closeness to his siblings. He couldn’t remember the last time that they had been alone, just the three of them talking about random bits of their day. Jace hadn’t come to his room to tease him about his love life in over a week. Hell, it had been over two weeks since Izzy had insisted on scenting their necks, something that used to bring her comfort. Jace used to tease her for it, but secretly Alec knew that they both loved giving her hugs when they could, anything to make their sister happy.  

Perhaps this was all a big part of them normalizing to societal standards, or even growing up a bit, that didn’t mean that Alec had to like it. They weren’t normal after all, and they never would be normal, so did they have to give up something that had been special to the three of them?

Alec felt Jace’s boot nudge him in the ribs gently, “Hey, you still in there?”

Alec glanced up at him and nodded, “Yeah, just…”

“Thinking, yeah I remember that look, I’ve been seeing it for over a decade now. That’s the ‘I’m pretending everything is fine when really I’m about ten meters deep in some mental shit’ look, right?” Jace asked, his voice teasing, but his eyes serious.

Alec let out a snort as he slapped Jace’s boot, “Don’t pretend like you’re the stable one of the two of us, you don’t think I know this move? The ‘I’m hiding somewhere pretending to work when really I’m ten meters deep in some mental shit’ move? C’mon, I’ve known you just as long. You would never willingly be working this late in the day if it wasn’t necessary.”

Jace’s face remained unfazed by Alec’s words, but he could clearly see where his brother’s fingers clenched slightly over the manual in his hands. He’d hit the dart on the nose it seemed, but Jace’s mouth appeared sewn shut on the matter, not biting at the bait.

But, Alec knew his brother well and knew how to hedge better than anyone else, “So…How’s Clary doing?” he asked, his suspicions hitting on the new flame in Jace’s life.

Jace shrugged and sank back in his chair, half his face becoming hidden behind the manual he started to flip through, “She’s fine, you saw her at lunch, she was super happy that she got paper in the mail.”

“Happy over paper?”

“It’s fancy paper I think.”

“Paper can be fancy?”

“Dude, ketchup can be fancy. I don’t pretend to understand it. I just know that it made her happy, so I’m happy for her and her paper,” he almost growled as he continued to stare at his book even though he had yet to turn a page, “How’s Magnus?”

Alec couldn’t help the smile that bloomed on his face, “He’s great.”

“I bet he is. How’s he handling that whole…psychic bomb he dropped?” Jace asked.

“He’s a little alarmed that he could do something like that, but he’s been meditation on it in hopes he can figure out what he did. Catarina took the Ferals off of sedation a week ago and she hasn’t noticed any permanent damage done by Magnus. They’re still all…veiny though, and still supposedly susceptible to commands, although it seems to be spotty commands... She hasn’t been able to fix it yet, so me, Magnus, Clary and Iz are heading there tomorrow to figure things out,” he said, “With all of her special abilities, Cat is hoping Clary can figure something out.”

Jace’s fingers tightened more, “Yeah, she’s really special.”

Alec blinked, “Very special.”

“Mhm.”

“Very very…special.”

Jace slapped the manual down on his lap, “Dude, yes, she’s very special! What do you want me to say? She’s incredible in all aspects, she’s kind, she’s beautiful, she’s got such a big heart that she would put a golden retriever to shame, she’s got so many abilities that help people she’s like world salvation put in to one perfect person with paint stains on her jeans, meanwhile I’m just…”

“Just what?”

Jace cursed under his breath, his eyes falling on the floor as he crossed his arms over his chest, “I’m just me,” he muttered darkly.

Alec sighed, and waited. He knew to give Jace a bit of time to process after an outburst like that, just a few moments to pass while he collected his next words. If Alec spoke too soon, he would miss what it was that Jace was truly struggling with. Too many times people would rush in with reassurances after witnessing something like this, and often the person would clam up, keeping their mouths shut while the praises just flew over their heads that were too busy mulling about what they really were thinking. Alec knew this because he was a master of the same thing.

He didn’t have to wait long.

“Have you ever felt like…like you’re not good enough for someone?” Jace asked quietly.

Well, didn’t this sound familiar.

“Only every second I’m with Magnus, why? You don’t think you’re good enough for Clary?”

Jace shook his head, his eyes refusing to look up. This wasn’t exactly news to Alec, Jace had always struggled a bit with accepting himself, and through the years Alec and Izzy had yet to convince him of any self-worth mostly because that was something you could really only learn for yourself. And didn’t Alec know it, he was only just at the first step towards self-worth himself.

Slowly, Alec stood up from the desk and crouched down next to Jace, resting a hand on the blonde’s knee. It was only at this height that Alec had any chance of meeting his brother’s eyes, and he knew that this couldn’t be said without assuring himself that Jace was listening.

“Jace, we’ve been telling you for years now that love isn’t something that you need to pay for to keep. If Clary loves you, then you need to accept that and trust her when she says she loves the person you are,” Alec held his hand up when Jace’s mouth opened to protest, “and part of being able to accept that is by realizing that you are worthy of being loved for who you are. Love should not be conditional, and you need to stop thinking about it as such. You’re going to continue to have these doubts until you learn to love yourself, do you understand?”

He could see the understanding in Jace’s expression, but understanding and doing were two very _very_ different things. Both Alec and Isabelle had given Jace this same speech in several different iterations, dozens of versions, and in two languages over the years. Although, Isabelle yelling at him in Spanish was obviously a wasted attempt seeing as how Jace only knew how to order extra chorizo and a few curses in their first language. It never seemed to sink in though, and they all knew why.

Alec had been secretly hoping that Clary coming in to his life would be the final push to get Jace over that hump that kept him trapped in his long journey of self-hate, and even if it hadn’t happened just yet, there was still hope.

Jace’s mouth opened to say something, but at the sound of the hangar door opening he clamped shut and they both turned to see Magnus stepping in hesitantly.

“Uh, sorry to interrupt, but Alexander and I need to get going. Luke says the mutants we’re meeting are flighty and may run off if we’re late even by a minute,” Magnus said with a wince.

Jace almost flew out of his seat, “No worries Magnus, have fun on your ‘not a date’,” he said as he quickly exited the room, leaving Alec still crouching by the chair watching him go.

Magnus quickly moved in to the room and over to Alec, “My apologies, Alexander. I felt the heavy atmosphere from all the way down the hall, and I tried to hold back, but Luke called to ask if we had left yet—"

“It’s okay, Mags. I know we have to go, there wasn’t much else I could say anyways. Jace just has some stuff he needs to work out,” Alec assured him with a peck to one glossy cheek.

Magnus sighed, “Indeed, it certainly feels like it. Shall we?” he said, gesturing to the bike with a flourish.

Alec grinned.

* * *

 

Jace raced back to his room, wishing that he could run away from his problems like he could run away from Alec telling him he _couldn’t_ run away from his problems.

He knew everything Alec had told him. He’d known it for years! What could be holding him back still? What was it that made it so damn hard to realize that people weren’t going to suddenly dump him in a barrel like week old trash?

Alec and Izzy had seen him at his worst and his best, and they hadn’t gone anywhere. Clary knew about him, knew he wasn’t perfect, but she…she had said that she loved him. He still couldn’t believe it.

_It was a rare quiet day for the two of them, and Jace was more than happy to lounge around on Clary’s bed while she spent hour after hour working on a canvass, her fingers smudged up to her second knuckles in charcoal dust._

_He loved the way that she scrunched her nose when she was working on small details up close. He loved how she would forget about her smudged fingers when she tapped her chin in thought, leaving dark spots around her lower lip. He loved how she agonized over getting the perfect angle for a single stroke, contorting her head so she could follow along through the long draw of the charcoal._

_He loved her. He just couldn’t say it, because then it would lead to the biggest ‘what if’ that existed._

_What if she didn’t love him back?_

_His mind was fixated though, the same three words playing on endless repeat in his head like a lousy DJ remix. I love you._

_I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you._

_It was all he could think of now. Nothing in the last few days had been able to distract him from those words. He felt like they were constantly clinging to his tongue, and if he opened his mouth they’d fall flat on the floor where anyone could stomp all over them._

_I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you._

_“You sure you don’t want to watch a movie or something? I can always finish this later if you’re getting bored,” she offered, glancing his way for the first time in over an hour._

_He opened his mouth to say ‘I’m fine’, but that’s not what came out._

_“I love you.”_

_She looked shocked for half a second, but then her entire face lit up and she dashed over to the bed and jumped up next to him._

_“I love you too,” she said and she kissed him so sweetly, her smudged hands leaving marks on his shirt._

_He’d never wash that shirt again._

Clary was the type of person to wear her emotions openly on her face, the exact kind of person who would fail spectacularly at poker games. It would be near impossible for her to lie without anyone who knew her being able to tell right away. Her tells were too obvious.

Jace hadn’t seen any lie in her eyes, not even hesitation, only happiness.

He had to be real about this though. After all, this was the girl who got excited over paper, even if it was _fancy_ paper. Alec said he had to trust she really did love him, but what if she just loved a little more easily than most? She was a ridiculously kind person, it wouldn’t be that far fetched that she was more prone to saying I love you to someone.

Should he just be grateful and consider himself lucky and get over it?

“Hey, I was looking for you.”

Jace almost jumped out of his boots at Luke’s sudden appearance in front of him, “Jeez! Don’t sneak around like that! Some of us are busy introspecting!”

Luke chuckled, “Says one of the three siblings that have nearly caused each one of my original team members to piss their pants on multiple occasions. Myself included. I’m about one load of laundry away from requisitioning bells for all Lightwoods.”

Jace rolled his eyes, “C’mon, we’re not that bad.”

“Tell that to Simon next time Alec causes him to drop a very expensive laptop. Any guy as big as Alec should not be capable of walking as quietly as he does. Ain’t natural.”

“There’s nothing natural about us in the first place. Now, what did you need me for?” the Elemental asked.

“Your mentor is coming for your first lesson tomorrow, so I suggest you rest up. He’ll be here right after breakfast,” Luke said and walked away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mmmmmm, yessssss....motorcylces...


	4. Awkward

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alec and Magnus meets some new mutants that trigger some painful memories for the Psychic.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoops! I did not realize how long this chapter was while writing it, but hey, enjoy the longer than usual update! You guys deserve it for making it through another week! Healthy mix of lighthearted humor and gut wrenching pain this time around, enjoy!

“We’re meeting them in a strip club?”

Magnus chuckled at the mix of surprise and horror lacing Alec’s voice as they pulled up to the club, his bike’s wheels crunching on the unkempt pavement of the parking lot. This wasn’t the classiest club Magnus had ever visited, but it would serve its purpose well enough for them.

“Darling, what did you think we were going to that had a name like ‘Cheaters’”

“I don’t know, a restaurant with a lot of fried junk food for resolution breakers maybe? A strip club though?”

“Of course, Alexander. What better place to have a secret meeting of mutants?” Magnus replied as he pulled off his helmet, checking his hair in the mirror to fix the flattened parts.

He felt Alec shift behind him, the Elementals hands still holding his hips even after the engine was cut. They had both enjoyed the ride, that much Magnus knew without a doubt thanks to his senses. Having Alec plastered to his back, hands clenched in his jacket as they first took off, was quite enjoyable even if Magnus had to admit showing off a little bit at first. Taking those curvy turns down the mountain a little more sharply than necessary, loving that it made Alec pull in a little closer each time.

Glancing over his shoulder he saw Alec staring at the decrepit façade of the building, helmet still on so Magnus couldn’t see his expression, but he assumed that it was probably adorably scrunched up in distaste. Alec’s shoulders slumped and he pulled the helmet off his head, his hair looking exactly the same it did before he had put it on. Benefits of rocking the messy hair look, Magnus thought to himself wistfully as he continued to try and fix his own.

“A strip club, really? Couldn’t we have done it on a bench in the park, or even at some Italian restaurant like the mob bosses do?” Alec asked petulantly as he hopped down.

Magnus snorted, “It’s too difficult to talk mutant business with a mouth full of spaghetti and garlic bread. Besides, places like this are as safe as we can get. First off, the staff is big on their clientele confidentiality and are better than most at subtlety,” he said as he joined Alec as they walked to the door, “Second, even if one of us was recognized in here, the chances of that person reporting us is next to none. No one admits to going to a strip club if they have an image to uphold. And third…” Magnus paused as he grabbed the handle, turning to Alec and winking, “they serve an excellent martini here.”

_Definitely not a date, I don’t care what Jace thinks. I will not let a strip club be our first date,”_ Alec thought to himself as Magnus pulled open the door for him with a flourish, the loud music and flashing lights suddenly filling the quite night.

Uncomfortable was an understatement to describe the dark cloud that had descended over Alec as they took a seat in some back-corner booth, both of them wincing at the sticky table and choosing wisely not to think about what substances may have caused it. Despite the seedy nature surrounding them, and Alec’s blatant discomfort, Magnus couldn’t help but be slightly amused. It was rather difficult to keep a straight face as he watched the parade of expressions cross over Alec’s face as he took in their surroundings.

 For someone who didn’t frequent places where humans went to give in to their more primal urges, Magnus could understand how it may be a bit shocking. All around them were platforms where some scantily clad person was undulating against a pole while those seated below would stare openly, sipping casually at their drinks. Thankfully, the lighting that continuously flashed through the room was enough to make it difficult to catch glimpses of anything too graphic from a distance, another perk to having their meeting here. No one would be able to see their faces from a distance either.

The music alone was enough to deter most Ferals, the reason behind Alec being assigned to this mission as opposed to Isabelle or Luke. And there was no way that Luke would ever willingly send Clary, Simon to a place like this, not that Magnus was complaining at having Alec along with him. Quite the contrary, he was thrilled to spend more time with him even if the mission interrupted what was promising to be an extraordinary night. He did feel a little bad at Alec’s discomfort though. Especially now that some woman dressed in only panties and a pair of tassels was sauntering up to him.

“Well hello there, cutie. My name’s Ivy, you look a little nervous. Can I help you…loosen up?”

He’d never seen Alec’s eyes that wide before.

If Magnus couldn’t feel the complete panic that enveloped his boyfriend he may have laughed, but he wasn’t about to let Alec accidentally stutter himself in to a lap dance, accepting out of sheer awkwardness of the situation.

“I’m sorry, my dear, but our friend’s taste lies in a different type of club,” Magnus said smoothly.

She nodded as she turned to Magnus, her eyes lighting up upon spotting the speaker, “Well what about you, Handsome? Looking for the best five minutes of your life?”

Magnus shook his head, “I’m afraid I shall pass as well, I’m just here for the martinis” he said with a wink and she finally walked off, passing Magnus’ drink order to a waitress along the way, much to the visible relief of Alec.

“How about we talk about the mission,” Magnus offered, pulling Alec’s gaze away from the wall, seemingly the only thing he’d deemed safe enough to look at in here.

Alec nodded eagerly, “Yeah, let’s start by me asking why I’m here if it’s your psychic ability that’s needed. Somehow, I don’t think plants will come in handy in a place like this. Just because the women have the fake name of a plant, doesn’t mean I can do anything about it.”

Magnus chuckled warmly, “I’m sure Ivy would tell you of many things she will do for a good tipper, but you’re not here to amass an garden variety army of exotic dancers with poor stage name choices. You’re here to serve as a look out while I vet the new mutants we’re meeting up with. They tend to get a bit antsy if both of us were constantly looking over our shoulders, so I focus on the vetting while you casually glance around…while trying not to look like you’re about to sprint off if any other girl comes within a five-foot radius of you,” Magnus said with a pointed look.

Alec immediately loosened his posture and sunk in to the chair, like a child scolded, “Okay, fine I’ll try to relax. What are we vetting these two for anyway?”

A waitress walked up to the table, dropping off Magnus’ drink that he took a sip of right away. Perfect like always. Magnus gingerly picked up the glass by the stem before sliding it over to Alec, “Here, I feel like this may help you more than it helps me. I’d rather keep a clear head for this,” he said, watching Alec hesitantly take a very small sip, his face scrunching up at the burn before pushing it back to Magnus, “And we’re vetting them to assure that they are in fact mutants on the run who are ready to be shipped to a safe house.”

“What would they be if they weren’t? Valentine’s mutants all have those black veins, we’d be able to notice it right away if they were under his influence.”

Magnus winced as he took a second sip, “Ah, well that’s not always the case I’m afraid. Not all mutants are running scared. Some have god complexes like you wouldn’t believe and lean more towards criminal tendencies, something we do not encourage and can’t have in our safe houses where they may draw attention. Then there are undercover agents, posing as mutants, thankfully they stopped doing that once they realized their people were always caught. I’ve even encountered mutants that simply just aren’t ready to go in to hiding because they have a job they love, or people they don’t want to break contact with. Unfortunately, we can’t let them keep anything of their old lives because it makes them traceable and it endangers all the others at the safe house. And then there are the worst cases…mutants who work willingly for Valentine.”

This time Alec winced, “You mean like Hodge was?”

“And others, he is not the only one I’m afraid. Some mutants see Valentine as their creator, their leader as it were and are willing to do anything for the man who gave them superpowers. Then there are some that will do anything for money or favors, and it has happened that we’ve encountered a few like that,” Magnus said darkly, thinking of one person in particular, “Luke usually sees that those types are identified and ostracized by our kind. And then there are some, like Hodge, that are used by Valentine through blackmail, or psychological manipulation. I believe Jace fought his way out of becoming one of those thanks to his own natural goodness as well as some influence of a dear friend he met at his facility,” he said, smiling warmly at Alec.

Alec blushed lightly at the wave of pride that Magnus pushed at him, still not believing that anyone besides Jace was responsible for him getting away from Valentine’s grasp.

“So, you just,” Alec wiggled his fingers beside his head, “Take a peak in there when you ask them questions to see if they have the proper emotional reactions.”

“Exactly, and while I’m doing the ‘interview’ as we refer to it, you just need to keep your pretty eyes peeled for anything odd.”

“Like a potential trap?”

Magnus nodded solemnly, “Yes, but as of now I don’t feel anything sinister besides a rather questionable gentleman over by the bar focusing a little too much on one of the girls. I may have you go say something to the bouncer if it gets any worse.”

Then Magnus’ eyes snapped to the door as an equally uncomfortable looking couple came in to the room, “Ah, I see our guests have arrive,” he said under his breath, already staring a cursory scan of the two for anything off putting.  For the most part, there was discomfort at the environment as well as nerves, and perhaps a small running animosity between the two that was rather intriguing. Like Luke had said, it would be a man and woman, married by all but legal terms, one a psychic and the other a molecular. They would identify Magnus by a white Heather flower pinned to his jacket, courtesy of Alexander. After Simon had ordered Alec almost a whole library of different plant books and seeds, they’d started to develop a code of flower meanings that could potentially come in handy at some point beyond communicating romantic meet ups. This particular one on his jacket meant _protection_ if white.

The woman noticed them first and elbowed her husband roughly in the ribs to get his attention, both of them making their way over, the woman scowling at the man who couldn’t seem to take his eyes off the entertainment.

Alec snorted at the two, “Maybe she needs the martini more than us.”

“You may be right, Angel.”

Alec got up from the other side of the table and slid in next to Magnus, leaving the booth across from them open to the two mutants arriving. The man sliding in first, not waiting before casting a weary glance at the delicate flower on Magnus’ jacket.

“You should choose a more basic flower, I had to look up what the hell a ‘white heather’ was myself so we’d be able to find you guys,” he said as a greeting.

Magnus blinked several times, “Well, I’m sorry for that wasted twenty seconds of your life. Even so, I don’t see many others in here with a flower pinned to them, I can’t imagine the process of elimination would be overly difficult unless there is some new fashion trend that I’m not aware of.”

_As if there was a single trend would get by him,_ Alec thought to himself with a hidden chuckle.

“Don’t worry about him, he’s just being an ignorant ass. He wouldn’t even be able to tell a rose from a tree if you had both stapled to your lapel,” the woman said bitterly, “I’m Zoe by the way. This is hunk of useless meat is Mark.”

Alec’s eyebrows rose to his hairline. He was by no means an expert on relationships, but even his parents and their busted marriage weren’t this…blatant with their bickering. He couldn’t judge too harshly though, he knew from experience how poorly all Circle Corp kids were treated. Honestly it was a miracle that any of them came out with a small semblance of social skills, let alone healthy relationship models. Alec himself was still learning the basics of ‘casual conversations’ and their benefits, even if he thought it was all a waste of time. Who talks about the weather if they could just stick their head outside a window and figure it out for themselves?

Alec shook off his musings and decided to do his job, doing his best to casually look around the club, keeping one ear on the conversation and doing his best to ignore Zoe as she seemed to stare at his chest for far too long to be accidental.

He heard Magnus clear his throat, “Pleasure to meet both of you. My name is Magnus, and this is Alec. We work for Luke. As I understand it, you’re both looking to be relocated to a safe place?”

Mark huffed, “If such a thing exists, sure. We thought this place was safe until little missy here decided to report her coworker stealing money.” His wife didn’t even glance up from where she was staring at the table above Alec and Magnus’ laps.

Magnus frowned, “I’m not sure I follow why this is a bad thing.”

“Because there was no normal way for her to know that without taking a peak in his locker. She saw the money stacked in there with her psychic x-ray vision,” he finished with a growl.

Alec’s head shot back to Zoe, following her gaze to see where she was looking, and he quickly slapped his hands over his lap, blush rising on his cheeks as she gave him a sneaky smile.

“Hands don’t stop me, hon,” she said cheekily.

 Magnus was also a bit flustered and did his best to restrain himself from covering Alec and himself, knowing that it would be a vain attempt. Sighing, Magnus took another sip of his martini before sliding over to Alec, the Elemental taking a much larger gulp this time.

Shaking his head, Mark moved to lean forward on the table, thinking twice when he noted the stickiness and sitting back against the booth, “Anyway, her coworker got reported and then the police got involved. Started asking her how she knew the money was there. It was only a matter of time before they started asking for IDs and shit, so we had to book it before they found us out. Bullshit, if you ask me. We had an apartment and everything.”

“That money that was being stolen was part of my wages! We live off of those tips, good luck paying for that apartment and those bitches you sleep with without my money,” Zoe shot back.

“Don’t act all high and mighty, I have a list of names longer than Santa Claus of guys you’ve banged.”

“At least all the names on my list are above age 18.”

“I’m only 20 years old, and you don’t actually know if that girl was underage or not!”

“It’s still sick!”

“Well, my mutation is liquidification, not age detection!”

“Well, it certainly isn’t stamina!”

“Ah, may I interrupt for a moment!” Magnus tried to shout over the music in the room, trying to save off drawing even more attention to themselves, “I may be an empath, but I am no couples therapist so I’m going to have to stop you right here. I have a note from Luke saying that you were looking for an assignment together, are you sure that you want that? Perhaps there was some miscommunication?”

The angry red flush of her face faded at the question along with her temper as Zoe sent an apologetic look to all three of them at the table. Even Mark looked a little ashamed at the outburst. While their emotions ran through the full rollercoaster ride, Magnus still was scanning continuously and had nothing trip his internal alarm system. They truly seemed to be genuine in their need for relocation, and judging from Alec’s somewhat relaxed posture along with his own scan of the building, there was no trap set.

Even if the couple was a little…odd, they would qualify for a safe house.

Magnus watched as the two glanced at each other, a full conversation spoken without words in a way that only those who know each other better than themselves could do.

Zoe was the first to break the gaze as she turned back to Magnus, “Yes, we want to go together. I know we seem like we have a lot of problems between us, but we’re hoping we can work them out once we’re…in a safe place. The stress of hiding ourselves has no doubt had an effect on us.”

Mark sighed, draping an arm over her shoulders, “Yes, we’re sorry for the dirty laundry display. We really just want to find a safe place to start over before Circle Corp finds us again. We grew up friends in the same facility, we’ve been together even through the Circle Corp breakout, I can’t imagine life without her.”

Magnus smiled sympathetically, “Of course, we’ll find you a shared place. You will be among others of your kind there, so you won’t be alone. Only having each other to rely on is sometimes draining to a relationship. Anyhow, here is your burner phone with my number as well as Luke’s, he will call you with a meeting time and place within the next 24 hours and someone will take you to your new home. I believe Luke also explained all the rules of this, so please adhere to them, it is for your safety as well as ours after all. Thank you for meeting with us.”

Mark and Zoe’s faces lit up as they expressed their gratitude before slipping out of the building, leaving Alec and Magnus still seated at the booth.

Alec blew out a breath, “Are interviews always this…special?” he said, his mind still reeling from the display he’d just witnessed.

Letting out a chuckle, Magnus shook his head, “Depends on which version of special you’re referring to. I think I prefer this to a flighty individual one blink away from scampering off in to the darkness. Anyway, we should probably head out. We didn’t even finish the martini between us, so we can head home now. You must be exhausted after that.”

Alec couldn’t deny it, it had been a long day, over and hour past midnight and they still had the long ride home. Not to mention a rather too eventful interview for his tastes, he still felt a little exposed even with Zoe and her xxx-ray vision out of the building. He wasn’t sure how he felt about anyone besides Magnus seeing him naked. Not that Magnus had seen him naked yet.

Both of them grabbed their helmets and walked out of the building, heading over to the bike while Magnus checked it over a bit before sitting down. Alec remained standing, fiddling with the chin straps while waiting.

“Hey, Magnus?”

“Mmm?”

“Do you think those two will last? I mean, that was some pretty heavy stuff they had between them,” Alec said, staring off down the road as if he could still see the couple driving off.

Magnus paused his fiddling and glanced up at him, “Well, everyone has their baggage. Whether it came to be before or during the relationship doesn’t really matter. It’s always there, you just have to find the right person to put up with its presence or even help you carry the load, be it some childhood trauma or some injury inflicted by someone you cared for, or any other source really. If Mark and Zoe are willing to do that, then they may just stay together, but who’s to say?”

“Well, you scanned them. Did they actually love each other?”

Magnus thought about it for a moment, chewing at his bottom lip sending a slight thrill through Alec’s gut, “Yes, I suppose there was love there amongst everything else mixed in there. I can only feel current emotions, so it may be a different case all together. It was all a bit tainted by the current bitterness just then, but towards the end there was a familiarity to their feelings to one another. Love lasting through many trials and tribulations.”

Alec wrinkled his nose, “Even after they cheated on each other? I mean, that’s a like a metal shipping container in the baggage world.”

 Magnus froze as a cold sweat broke out over his body, “Um, well, yes I suppose it is. It’s not something that everyone is willing to lug around, I guess,” he said, a twitch of a smile trying to appear on his face, but it fell just as quickly as it appeared.

He saw Alec frown and then he realized that he hadn’t closed off their link to one another. Alec had felt his alarm, and now Magnus couldn’t help it as the panic started to building even further in his chest. It felt like a vice being slowly tightened around his sternum, the pressure getting to where his lungs were having trouble filling.

He felt Alec’s worry growing, a nagging sense at the back of his brain.

“Magnus? Hey, talk to me, what’s wrong? Magnus?”

Two strong arms wrapped around him, holding him tight so that he wouldn’t fall. It was warm, and it was grounding him long enough to catch a breath, the roaring in his ears dying down enough to catch the gentle notes of Alec’s voice from where lips were pressed to the side of his head.

“Hey, breath with me. Slowly, in and out, okay? Slowly…”

It was working. Magnus focused only on that voice, pushing all the dark thoughts that were pressing in on his brain away with the strength he was pulling from Alec. Measuring his breaths, he kept his eyes closed and his face pressed in to Alec’s shoulder, sucking in the familiar scent of the shampoo he kept on borrowing. As the spinning in his brain came to a more manageable speed, he finally felt the soothing hand rubbing up and down his spine and he melted in to the touch with a sigh.

“I’m okay now, thank you,” Magnus murmured, but didn’t pull away just yet despite his embarrassment and shame. How could he let something as simple as a mention of someone cheating get to him so violently? He thought he had moved past this?

He couldn’t see it, but he just knew Alec was raising a skeptical eyebrow, “Nobody can recover from a panic attack that quickly Mags, so don’t try to hide it. Take your time.”

Reluctantly, Magnus nodded and took a moment more to ground himself, using Alec’s presence as an anchor. He was right. Magnus knew that Alec had suffered from similar panic attacks, hell, most if not all the children of Circle Corp had them on occasion. You didn’t come out of a place like that without some kind of anxiety, Magnus had just hoped to keep up his untouchable image for a while yet. He thought their relationship too juvenile to show his weaknesses.

He supposed he should have expected something like this, despite several years having passed. The stains of betrayal mixed in with love that both Zoe and Mark carried were just too familiar to his own experiences and the sudden realization that Alec may eventually have to learn of Magnus’ own heavy baggage had all become too much all at once.

Camille.

She had left him so damaged after their affair ended, leaving him almost unrecognizable even to himself. And here was Alec, untainted by any previous relationship, all bright eyed and innocent to how damaging love could be. It made his stomach lurch to think of anyone doing that to someone like Alec, someone who felt things so strongly, someone as sensitive as him. Magnus felt almost dirty laying next to him, and he had dared to hope that maybe he could move past and forget his pain if only to spare Alexander the darkness in him.

He was a fool to think he would be able to hide how tainted he was, but he wasn’t ready yet.

“You’re very good at this. A little too good,” Magnus said, his voice muffled by Alec’s jacket.

He felt Alec chuckle, the vibrations of the laugh making his body shake where Magnus’ head lay, “Yeah, I’ve had a lot of practice as well as personal experience. Jace too actually. Both of us served as the panicked one and well as the comforter on many occasions, and we never thought any less of each other for it, you know?  You know how emotional us Elementals can be, it’s more alarming when either of us goes even a few months _without_ some sort of mental breakdown. Jace’s last one destroyed several of Izzy’s favorite outfits. My last one caused one of our cans of green beans to explode all over our mattress.”

Magnus let out a laugh at the image, thinking in his mind how ridiculous mutants were with the lives they had lived. And here was Alexander telling that not only was he used to this kind of thing, and that he was a victim of it as well, but also that it was something he didn’t think anything less of someone going through the same thing. It was far more of a comfort than he could ever have imagined, he had no idea what deity it was that brought Alexander in to his life, but he sent out a thanks above for whatever fate brought him this incredible person.

He felt a soft kiss placed to his temple before he heard Alexander’s voice in his ear, “I’m so experienced actually, that I can say with confidence that sharing your thoughts helps, but only if you’re ready to. So…we have three choices here. We can either wait here in silence until you’re ready to ride home. We can go home now with me driving and inducing another panic attack on the way since I literally have no idea how to work a motorcycle. And finally, we can wait here while I listen to what you need to get off your chest and then we can ride home when you’re ready,” he said, pulling back slightly so that he could look Magnus in the eye.

Magnus thought about it, about what he wanted to say and what he felt like he was capable of saying. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Alec, it was just past experiences shrouding his good judgement like curtains over a window. He bit his tongue hard enough to draw blood, hating that he couldn’t just say the words that he knew Alec would accept.

He couldn’t say anything, no words would pass his lips. All he could manage to do was shake his head sadly.

Alec shoulders slumped, but Magnus could feel that he wasn’t disappointed, just concerned.

“Okay, Magnus. We can wait here a bit longer,” he said gently and reached out to hold his hand while Magnus spent the next half hour wondering how he could possible deserve someone so patient.

As they found a nearby bench, Magnus felt like he was in a daze as he was so carefully led to sit down. Not once did he feel a shred of judgement or impatience. He could feel the pure love being poured down on him like a cleansing shower with all that Alec was pushing at him through their link, and he felt like he could stay like that forever.

So brimming with love and appreciation, Magnus felt like he wanted to give Alec everything and anything he asked for. The moon, the stars, his left kidney, anything, but knowing Alec he would just smile and say all he needed was Magnus. And really, if asked the same question, Magnus’ mind would only be able to provide one answer.

Alexander.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MAGNUS NEEDS A HUG, OKAY???


	5. Wavering

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some Jace and Magnus deep thinking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for the comments and kudos! And welcome to the new readers! Making our way through some character development at the moment as we will start barreling our way towards plot soon! Safety helmets and seat belts may be needed in a couple chapters!

There weren’t many morning people in their new home, something that Jace was by far very thankful for. Growing up with Izzy and Alec, he’d gotten used to the quiet every morning as their brains slowly woke up, not quite ready to form words beyond grunted affirmations when offered coffee. It was like over the many years together they had come to the unspoken agreement that mornings were slotted for companionable silences and hazy blinking of eyes while giving their old dirty mattress on the floor a look of want that he usually reserved for hot chicks at the bar.

He had grown used to seeing Izzy stay crammed under the blankets until the last possible minute, somehow dressing and putting on her make-up so fast that it was like magic when Alec informed her that she would be late to work. Seeing Alec shuffle around their little shared room like a 90 year old man, cup of coffee dangerously sloshing against the rim of his mug, was also something he almost relied on to bring the first twitch of a smile to his lips every morning.

He knew their habits as well as they knew his, making sure to nudge him every few minutes when he had accidentally fallen asleep again mid breakfast, or sometime even while getting dressed. They had a pattern for years, and to Jace it was one of the few things that he could look back on fondly during their time on the run.

Moving here was both thrilling as well as unsettling, all the new things in their lives, all the new people, it was complicated, it was better, it was easier, but it was harder too.

Instead of just having to know not to startle Alec before 7am to avoid any nearby plants suddenly freaking out and tying you up, he also had to learn to never ever touch Simon’s laptop without permission or he’d send a virus to your phone that would play some cat poptart video non stop in the background. Instead of just having to make sure he didn’t keep smelly laundry around Izzy’s superpowered nose lest he wanted her to yell at him in Spanish, he also now had to remember that Magnus’ liquor collection was in fact not an open bar and if he took the tequila without permission again he’d start filling random bottles with rubbing alcohol.

It was a whole new set of do’s and don’ts that he was trying his best to learn, but he was still messing up even though they’d been here months now. Luke scolding him for burning the gym mats for the fourth time, Simon sighing when he had to fix his broken phone again after smashing it while wrestling with Alec, Clary being surprised when he said he didn’t know how to use the internet, Magnus asking him not to play with his lighter so close to the books…

They never looked particularly angry when they corrected him or explained what should be simple things to him, but Jace just felt so ashamed each time thinking that they would get sick of it eventually if not already. On top of it all, he was watching how quickly his siblings had been progressing since they got here, how well they had attuned themselves to their abilities. Hell, even before his training Alec had busted out some incredible feats that Jace had no idea he was capable of. While he was beyond thrilled that Alec, who had struggled for years feeling like his powers were useless, was now finding himself surpassing everyone’s expectations, Jace couldn’t help but feel a little envious.

Sure, Jace could play with his flames, make fireballs, but that was it. Even at the warehouse fire, his control of the flames was mostly in part to Magnus helping boost his abilities. All those years that Alec had been jealous of the strength of Jace’s ability, but it turns out that Alec was by far better.

Well, Jace had always been a bit jealous of Alec’s ability seeing as it was the exact opposite of his own. Giving life rather than destroying it. He couldn’t help but wonder if Valentine would have left him alone as a child if his mutation had manifested as something so seemingly innocent. Who knows, maybe Valentine would have stuck him in a pod if he realized that Jace hadn’t grown as strong as he had hoped.

 Having the ability to wield fire sure sounded impressive, but Jace had yet to do anything impressive as far as he could tell. He was almost positive that even Luke maybe felt like he made a mistake letting Jace on the team. Every day he felt like he was one step closer to them realizing how useless he was.

So here he was, sitting alone in the kitchen stirring his congealing oatmeal as he waited with baited breath until his ‘mentor’ would arrive, who would undoubtedly report to Luke that Jace was a hopeless cause.

Jace lifted his spoon and watched as a large glob of it plopped back in to his bowl in a most unappetizing way. He had probably not added enough milk. He couldn’t even make oatmeal right.

He let his spoon clatter in to the bowl just as Luke came in to the room with a big smile on.

“You ready for today, kiddo?” he asked, his upbeat dad energy a bit too much for this early.

Jace shrugged, “I guess.”

Luke nodded as he set up the coffee maker, not looking at Jace’s sour expression, “Excellent. I think it’s a good match for you. Clary will be setting up a portal for you in the living room soon, you’ll meet your new teacher on the other side. Sound good?”

Jace glanced up from his pitiful oatmeal, “Wait, they’re not coming here?”

“Nope, given the nature of your ability, I wanted to err on the side of caution when it comes to not burning down the house if things get a little too sparky, so I found a place that you two can use to train without concerns of setting off the sprinklers or anything else,” Luke said casually, not noticing how Jace winced.

Of course, Jace knew somewhere deep down that Luke wasn’t trying to be mean, he was just using common sense, but Jace couldn’t help but feel a little ashamed that their team leader didn’t think he had full control enough to practice here. Yeah, sure Alec had accidentally trashed his mentor as well as himself on their first lesson, but at least Alec wasn’t told he had to leave. They’d gone willingly in to the woods.

Grabbing a bran muffin, his tablet and his coffee, Luke made his way over to the table pulling up his newspaper app as he sat down, “You nervous?” he asked taking a bite.

Jace could only muster a shrug.

“Don’t tell me I’m going to have to drag Magnus from Alec’s bed just so I can get a real answer out of you,” Luke said warningly, but not with any heat behind it, “They got in really late last night, so I’d rather not poke the sleeping beasts if you catch my drift.”

Jace let out a long sigh and sat back in his chair, arms crossed over his chest hugging tightly, “Maybe a little. I want to become strong as quickly as possible,” he said vaguely, his eyes glued to the table.

He could hear Luke hum as he took another sip of his still too hot coffee, “Well, I’m all for enthusiasm, but try not to think of it as a race to the finish line or anything. You can take as long as you need, there’s no time limit to growing as a person, that’s something we do every day of our lives. This is your time to learn about yourself, not just your abilities, and even when it comes to your abilities it’s not so much about becoming stronger as it is learning your limits, learning control.”

Jace frowned, “Then what’s the point if I’m already so limited?”

Now Luke frowned, “What makes you think you’re limited?”

 Jace snapped his mouth shut, afraid that he may have said too much, now Luke would know for sure that Jace had already shown his maximum power. He felt his heart rate pick up, and tried to calm it knowing that the Feral would hear it.

Luke did hear it though, and he mentally sighed to himself knowing that Jace’s mentor would be the only one to handle this well. Putting on his warmest smile he could, he leaned in closer to Jace, ducking so that he could catch the Elementals gaze, “Just keep your heart and mind open during your lesson today. I promise it will help, okay?”

“I’m not a fan of disappointing anyone,” Jace muttered, his eyes dropping even further unable to stand Luke looking at him so kindly.

“Your mentor isn’t there to grade you, they’re there to help guide you along your personal journey. There are no expectations, no deadlines, Jace, and no one to disappoint,” Luke said firmly, sitting back to finish his breakfast only when Jace gave a weak nod.

_No one to disappoint…what if I’m already disappointed in myself?_

* * *

 

Despite the exhaustion clinging to him like a bad smell, Magnus had been unable to find rest after they had returned home late, both bleary and drained from such a long day. After Magnus had felt centered enough to drive them home, they had taken the long road back to the mountain, both lost in their own thoughts and unable to speak on them over the roar of the engine. With legs made of jelly and mouths slack with yawns, they wordlessly made their way to Magnus’s bed only because his room happened to be the closer one.

Alec was already splayed on top of the bed covers, dead to the world by the time Magnus had come out from the bathroom having removed his make-up for the second time that night. Smiling fondly, Magnus pulled an extra blanket from the chest at the foot of the bed, draping it over Alec gently before sliding under next to him. He took a moment to revel in the thrill of having someone next to him, feeling his throat tighten as he took in Alec’s relaxed face and soft breaths.

He thought he would fall asleep this way and Alec would wake the next day to him smiling like an idiot in his sleep, but after the first hour of sleep evaded him, the smile faded and dark thoughts started to creep in to his mind like a returning infestation of a parasite problem he thought he had taken care of.

His mind felt dirty as those thoughts skittered across his mind like cockroaches, each one making his body shudder in disgust. He wished that he could just pluck the memories from his brain so that they’d never be there to emerge when the lights went out, but alas, he hadn’t met a Psychic with that ability. Yet. Not that he’d ever be able to go through with it, though. Logic told him that if he removed ever bit of his less than pleasant past, then he’d wake up half a person. Wisdom told him that it was the pain of the past that could provide him knowledge to avoid pain in the future. His heart told him that everything that had happened was what got him here, brought him to Alexander.

He’d told Alec vague details on his time at his facility, how he had been shunned because of his ability to read other minds, even if it was just emotions. While their words had been cruel and mean, it was what Magnus felt from them while they spoke them that truly made him crumble from the inside. They were scared of him. That was by far more painful than empty and angry words.

They knew he was able push them in to feeling things too, so they kept a physical distance as well. They were far too young to realize that if Magnus was ever going to force them to feel anything, it would be to have them like him.

He’d only become friends with Raphael because his surly personality also pushed him out of the crowd, the two of them always cast aside for their uncomfortable powers. Catarina was their friend out of her incredible good nature, recognizing both the physical and emotional pain of others. It was wonderful to have them, but they couldn’t be there all the time. They couldn’t stop the other children from saying such hateful things. For being afraid of him.

No matter how kind he was, how polite he was, how much he was willing to do anything to make the others like him, they still avoided him. He’d done everything to quickly master his powers, learning how to shut himself off from everyone, making it so he wouldn’t be intruding on their emotions, but they still didn’t trust him.

With his mind shut off from everyone, and being avoided psychically by the others…he was unbearably alone in both mind and body. It was weeks in to his stay with Ragnor before Magnus had caved in to the screaming pressure in his head to finally allowing himself to open his mind to the world again, feeling nothing but understanding and compassion from Ragnor that Magnus felt like he was part of the world again. Not just a shadow on a wall.

In his time working with Luke’s team, he’d met slept with and even dated a few of the mutants passing through. Each relationship ended in somewhat the same way. It would start with them saying that Magnus’ ability was a little startling, but they would look past it.

Look past it, they had said, like they could avoid the topic all together as if it wasn’t a very prominent part of Magnus. Of course, eventually they’d realize that they couldn’t avoid it, Magnus would always be able to read their emotions and know a general sense of what they were thinking at any given time. Some found it amusing at first, but then quickly they all realized that maybe it was a bit more than what they had expected.

A few of them had left as soon as they realized what it was they were dealing with. Others had tried a little more, mostly by asking if Magnus could shut it off while around them to which he always replied ‘no’. They would love all of him, or none of him. That’s what drove off the rest of them, leaving Magnus to pity himself as he thought to himself how difficult he was to love.

Then Camille had come in to his life.

She was a fiery, beautiful, confident woman that felt no shame over her mutation. She was the first to tell Magnus how incredible his ability was, how powerful he could be. She made him confident and she made him feel accepted. She made him blind.

His initial draw to her had been over their abilities. Both Psychic with the power to manipulate others should they choose to. Luke had seen the potential in their powers, but he was the only one who had also seen the potential for evil in her.

Because the power of persuasion was an incredible one, but it was equal parts awesome and dangerous in the wrong hands. Looking back Magnus could slap his past self for being so stupid.

So blinded with his gratitude over someone finally letting him be himself and sticking by his side longer than anyone else had, Magnus had let himself fall so deeply in love with the idea of the perfect soul mate that he didn’t even see it coming when she started to use her powers to manipulate him. He had done some horrible things then under her influence, things that Luke still tried to assure him that he would never had done without Camille pulling his strings. He felt the guilt even now though, unable to wipe those stains from his hands.

Even after catching her in the act with several other men, he had somehow always found it in himself to forgive her, most likely due to his own fear of never finding another person who wouldn’t balk at his mutation. Still, Magnus was unable to determine without a doubt if that was her manipulating him, or if he truly was such a coward to have not left her sooner.

Even now, Magnus remained fuzzy as well as horrified over the time he had spent with Camille, never sure which emotions had been genuine and which had been brought on by her influence. Did he ever truly love her? Perhaps he did, she was the first person to embrace all of him after all, but then again if he hadn’t been so deeply under her spell maybe he would have known from the start how dirty her soul was. He didn’t even know if their relationship had at any point been consensual, and that alone was enough to keep him up at night.

Alec wasn’t at all like her. From the very very start, Alec had just seen him. Magnus.

After meeting for a total of sixty seconds before passing out in a flower shop, Alec had woken from a week long coma and said that he remembered Magnus. Just…Magnus. No fear at having seen his power, no panic that Magnus may do the same to him, on rejection, just… _“You’re not too much. You’re just…you. I remember you.”_

It was at that thought, that the skittering across his brain stopped, just as the sun started to crest over the ridge of the mountain and light up the room in golden hues. Magnus sighed and closed his eyes, finally feeling like sleep was near.

And then he heard his phone ring.

His hand slapped quickly to the side table where it was charging, grabbing it and opening it as fast as he could so as not to wake Alec. Gently crawling out of bed, he moved in to the bathroom, breathing out a sigh of relief when he saw that Alec hadn’t woken to the sound.

Without even glancing at the caller ID, he brought the phone to his ear.

“Hello?”

_“Magnus, how are you my sexy boy?”_

Magnus felt the blood in his veins freeze.

“Camille?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hugs and chocolate. That's what we need. And there will be a full explanation of what Camille did in a later chapter, I swear.  
> Any guesses as to who Jace's mentor may be???? Or better yet, what their mutation is??? Took me days to settle on this person, and even longer to figure out a power. I love the outcome, so hopefully you all do too.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jace begins his first lesson with his mentor while Magnus speaks to Camille.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still here!!!!! Still trying to chug along with getting tiny bits of writing done in my spare moments. Still have my motivation though, and when it comes to writing a story that is more important than time! This AU has become my baby and I absolutely love writing for it! I definitely think that when the time comes (when I complete this series) I'll leave it as an open AU for anyone else to use as they like. I haven't seen open AUs for the Shadowhunters fandom, but they exist in some others and are some of my faves.

_“It’s been a while; did you miss me?”_

Magnus could feel his breath start to pick up in time with his heart as a thousand bitter moments flashed before his eyes, leaving a sour taste on his tongue and a dark shadow over his eyes. It had been years since he had last heard that sultry voice, the one that used to make him tingle all over. Now it just made him feel ill.

It surprised him, his reaction to hearing her again for the first time in years. He had figured he'd feel slightly nauseous, that was a given and was very much happening now. But in all his unsought imagined scenarios of this, he had also had pictured himself in a far from flattering cower before her. He wasn't though, he felt...stronger for once, no fear of being shadowed in darkness by her presence. If he had gotten this phone call even as early as the day before, he would probably all ready be a trembling mess, but glancing out his bathroom door at the outline of Alexander still soundly sleeping in their shared bed somehow gave him the strength to slow his heart and open his mouth to speak.

“Well, speak of the devil as she will appear. How did you get this number, Camille?”

_“Oh, were you just talking about me? How sweet of you.”_

Magnus rolled his eyes, “The number, Camille.”

He could hear her sigh dramatically, _“I asked that nice mutant couple for it as they left the club, the man was only too eager to supply whatever I asked for. Really though, Luke should think up some new meeting places. You’ve been using the same five clubs for years now, it was only a matter of time before I caught one of your new friends leaving one.”_

“And by asked, you mean forced,” he bit back.

_“Oh, Maggy, you know how my mutation works better than that. If he didn’t already feel something for me then he wouldn’t have given me anything. By the way, I heard you took on some new team members. A few of my contacts tell me that Valentine had a deep interest in a few of them.”_

Magnus sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, already feeling a headache coming on as he tried to think if it still counted as drinking before noon if he hadn’t actually slept yet, “Camille, you have ten seconds to tell me what the hell you want before I hang up the phone and change my number and take a year long shower to wash out my ear.”

_“Can’t a girl check in with her lover from time to time?”_

“You aren’t my lover, you’re satan spawn dressed in Versace. Five seconds.”

_“You know I prefer Prada.”_

“Two seconds.”

_“Fine! I want to make a deal! I want protection and I have information to trade.”_

Magnus raised an eyebrow at her tone, not remembering ever hearing her so desperate sounding before, “Protection you say? Did one of your past cons finally catch up with you? I must say, I highly doubt that Luke would ever relocate your sorry silk clad ass anywhere after the crap you’ve pulled on innocent people. You’re just going to have to sit in the shit you’ve created,” he mocked, taking far too much joy in having the upper hand over her for the first time.

_“It’s not one of my cons, Valentine is becoming short on patience and I don’t want to be caught in the crossfire when he finally loses it. I want out, now. And I have a feeling Luke will change his mind after he hears what I have to say.”_

“Well, you’re the one who decided to work willingly for a madman, so you’re going to have to deal with whatever comes your way. I’m not helping you,” Magnus said firmly.

_“I just want a meet up so we can make a deal.”_

“Don’t care. There is nothing you and your slimy hands have that I could possibly want.”

_“Magnus—”_

“Hanging up now,” he said, bringing the phone down and hovering his thumb over the call end button.

_“I know where the Lightwood brat is!”_

Magnus’ finger froze.

* * *

 

Despite not finishing his breakfast, Jace could still feel his stomach churning unhappily as Clary walked him over to the portal. Her light and cheerful chatter was soothing in a way, until his traitorous mind would butt in reminding him that he’d probably lose Clary eventually once she realized how weak he truly was. He couldn’t seem to get that small voice in the back of his head to shut up this time, his nerves making it all too difficult for him to put up a decent fight in his ongoing war against his mind. The war he fought almost daily trying to prove to himself he wasn’t what Valentine made him to be.

He had good days and bad day, and today was definitely a bad day.

“—so after it dried, the colors kind of changed in a way that made it look way too dull. Now I have to order all new paints before I can finish. Anyway, you should probably head out for your lesson. I’ll be sending another portal later tonight to bring you home. Okay?” she said sweetly, looking up at him expectantly.

“You’re not coming with me?”

She shook her head, “Afraid not, some of us have a date with Catarina and some brainwashed Ferals. And this is for you, I don’t want to be a distraction. You can tell me all about it when you get home, sound good?” she said as she waved her arm in a circular motion, a flash of light blinding them for a moment as the portal shimmered in to existence.

Jace nodded stiffly, a little relieved that she wouldn’t be there to watch him fail. He gave her a weak smile before bending down to give her a quick kiss, “Yeah, I’ll see you when I get back. Good luck with the Ferals.”

“And good luck to you!”

Her smile was the last thing he saw before he stepped through.

* * *

 

Portals were…weird. It took no longer than stepping through any old doorway, but it felt like somehow riding on two rollercoasters, dropping 20 feet, spiraling around on a tilt-a-whirl, and sticking the landing on the other side all in that half a second. Usually he was left with only a very mild feeling of nausea as he stepped through, but this time as he stepped out in to some empty parking lot he felt a thousand times worse and he had to stand still for a moment to hold down his two bites of goop from earlier that morning.

As the sick feeling receded in to a more manageable amount, he opened his eyes to take in his surroundings. From what he could gather, it was another fucking state park. After their recent adventure of finding Alec in the last park he’d visited, he had made a promise to himself to avoid any more forests in the near future, still not recovered fully from the two harrowing days of constant fear. He hated being stuck in a place that he had to worry constantly about literally setting fire to an already shitty situation.

He groaned out loud while he tried to figure out what the hell Luke was thinking sending him to a place that he could easily burn to the ground by mistake.

“Not a fan of the outdoors?” came a voice, soft with a hint of an English accent.

Jace’s head whipped around, falling on a man who stood next to the only car in the otherwise empty parking lot. Suspiciously, Jace eyed the stranger, taking in his appearance. He was tall, almost as tall as Alec. Black hair, light eyes, and Jace is pretty sure that a guy like this would probably send Izzy swooning off in to the sunset. He mentally rolled his eyes.

Seeing as how the man did not seem the least bit concerned about a guy magically portalling in to a parking lot in the middle of who the fuck knows where, Jace had to assume that this was his mentor. He didn’t appear like much in the strength category, lean muscle kind of visible under the basic clothing, but in the world of mutants, that meant nothing.

“More like the outdoors aren’t a fan of me,” Jace said as he walked over to the man, holding his hand out to shake.

The man met his grip firmly, “Yes, well as long as the trees don’t actively attack us then we should be fine. I hear that's more your brother's thing anyway. My name is Will, by the way. You must be Jace?” he said.

Jace nodded, his gaze unconsciously slipping away from his new teachers face to take in his surroundings, or anything really that wasn’t the person in front of him.

He didn’t see how Will’s expression turned contemplative when he noticed Jace not meeting his eyes.

“I’m guessing Luke told you my mutation, so I gotta ask…why are we at the edge of a forest? And…where is this forest anyway?” Jace asked.

“Massachusetts, a few miles outside of Boston. This nature preserve has a few hidden things that will allow us some privacy as well as a safe place to practice. And it’s close to my house, I told Luke I don’t like to travel for work, it upsets the home life, you know? There were only a few possible nearby places to do this, and we just happen to be in the perfect spot. Now, if you’ll follow me I will lead us to our destination. I hope anyway, direction is not my forte nor is it my mutation,” he quipped before walking forward, his hands slipping in to his pockets to ward off a bit of the chill in the air.

It was mid November, and the once colorful leaves that dressed the trees were now all but gone from the branches disguising the frigid wind as near invisible without the rustling leaves to warn them of its presence. Despite their bare appearance, Jace had to admit that the trees remained beautiful against the gray sky.

He blew in to his hands, rubbing them together as they walked down a trail in to the woods. He could already feel the chill seeping in to his bones as the early morning frost crunched against his boots.

He could see Will still looking at him out of the corner of his eye, the constant attention making Jace irritable and uncomfortable.

“I should tell you now that I’m already spoken for,” Jace grumbled.

Will let out a bark of laughter, “You have no idea what you’re missing, but feel free to ask my wife for details though if you get curious. However, my attention is not due to attraction I’m afraid, mostly I’m just trying to get a feel for what I’m working with.”

“And you think staring a hole in my head will help with that?”

“I do actually, people who say ‘you can’t judge a book by it’s cover’ are correct in a sense that you can’t tell everything about someone by just glancing at them, but that’s not to say that there isn’t anything you can glean from the outside,” he said as he  casually led them further along in to the forest.

The trees were becoming denser around them, a species that Jace wasn’t overly familiar with having only really seen forests in New York and Maine at this point. These ones were skinny, with red hues and papery rough bark that looked painful to the touch. The ground was littered in decaying brown oak leaves and red pine needles, making their footsteps almost completely silent. There weren’t even bird songs to fill up the quiet, all of them long having flown south.

“I love books, I have my whole life. They were my link to the outside world while I was confined at the facility. I got to know them on a personal level after some time. Just by looking at the condition of one I could tell if it was well cared for, whether it was loved and read multiple times, if it had been left somewhere damp, if it was old or new…all from a glance. Sometimes you can do the same with people,” he said, kicking a small stone out of their path.

Jace started to wonder what it was that Will could see on him, what stains of Jace’s past could he decipher.

“Ah, here we are,” Will said suddenly, stopping short on their path right in front of a large mound in the ground.

“You brought me to a mountain of dirt?”

“Yes, I believe it’s a military grade mountain of dirt though. Perfect for us. Come with me.”

Will led them around the mound, until they reached the other side that faced away from the trail they were taking. That’s when the mountain of dirt slowly revealed a large concrete wall built in on the other side, an old rusted metal door locked shut in the center of it. Jace’s eyes widened as he took it in, wondering what the hell something like this was doing in the middle of a nature preserve.

Will walked right up to the imposing wall, seemingly unbothered by the intimidating look of it and started to inspect the ancient looking padlock attached to it, pulling an equally old key out of his pocket.

“What is this?” Jace asked as he continued to stare.

Will glanced over his shoulder at him, “It’s an old bunker from WWII. This preserve belonged to the government and they thought that the woods would be an excellent place to hide a few bunkers full of military supplies in case our shores were invaded further. It was quite ingenious actually, hidden naturally by trees, impossible to find if you weren’t looking for them, and no one would see them being built. There are about 20 bunkers hidden in this forest, only 5 are in decent condition however. This one was supposedly specifically made to hold explosives without any risk of exposure to the nature surrounding it if something went wrong. In other words…perfect for you,” he said with a grin, swinging the door open with an earsplitting screech. He bowed down, arm held out to welcome Jace inside.

Jace squared his shoulders before ducking in, his eyes barely able to see anything in the darkened room. He could smell the old musty air that probably had been in there for years at least. On all sides they were completely surrounded by concrete, no windows, no other doors, just an empty and dark room about the size of a warehouse. Jace could hardly believe that something this big could be hidden so well. The mountain of dirt didn’t look nearly as big as it would need to be to cover this!

He heard echoing steps come in behind him, the door again screeching as Will shut it behind them, casting the already darkened room in to a deep black that Jace had only ever known in sleep. He shivered.

“Ah, I don’t know about you, but I’m not a huge fan of all consuming, soul crushing darkness. Would you mind providing a little comfort perhaps?” he heard Will ask, amusement in his voice.

Jace sighed and pulled out his lighter, flicking it open and pulling a glowing ball of flame from the small spark. Finally, the area around them lit up in a shifting glow, and Jace could see just how large the room truly was. He also saw Will casually taking in their surroundings, seemingly in approval.

“Good, good. That’s quite the handy mutation you’ve got there. I’m a little envious really,” he said.

Jace snorted, “Nothing to be envious of, I promise. Can we just get started? This place is giving me the creeps.”

Will regarded him for a moment, his face blank as he sighed, “Alright, how about we start with you telling me why you’re afraid of your Element?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The preserve I mentioned is a real place that I used to explore growing up in Boston, a few of the bunkers were left open and were incredible on the inside! Thought it would be a fun place to have them train :)


	7. Morbid

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jace's lesson continues, and we learn more about Will. Magnus gets an unpleasant welcome.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to all you lovely commenters and kudos givers! Oooo, this chapter is a little longer than the usual, so lucky you guys! On to a mix of plot and fluff! Enjoy, kids!

Despite the flame held in his hand, Jace suddenly felt cold all over, shivering under his jacket.

“What do you mean?” Jace asked.

“I want to know why you’re afraid of your Element,” Will repeated simply, as if the question wasn’t sending Jace reeling, “It’s actually quite obvious to me.”

Afraid of his Element? The idea seemed almost absurd to Jace, fire was as familiar to him as his own body was and it wasn’t like Jace was scared of his left foot. Hell, he’d have been playing with fire at any given moment growing up if it weren’t for Alec’s natural timid-ness towards it.

Will seemed to notice the baffled look on his face and sighed heavily, “Perhaps I should rephrase my question. I’m not asking why you’re afraid of fire itself, because you’re standing here holding live flame in your hand and don’t appear particularly alarmed. I’m asking why you’re afraid of using your Element, why you’re reluctant to practice near a forest. Why you don’t light up that little ball in your hand to warm yourself despite your lips turning blue in the cold. Why it is that you limit yourself? Do you understand my question now?” he asked, his eyes never leaving Jace’s.

Jace opened his mouth to give some quick denial answer, immediately going on the defensive, his whole body coiling like a snake readying to lash out if provoked. Then he remembered Luke’s request to keep his mind open, so he drew in a breath and let himself partially uncoil as he turned to fully regard his supposed mentor.

“What makes you think that I’m scared? Of course I’m reluctant to practice near a forest, I don’t want to accidentally burn it down. Alec would bust my ass with a Go Green sign if I did that. And not many people go walking around with a big ball of flame in their hands, so I’m sorry if you got a little chilly back there. I’m not a fireplace, I’m a fire person. And I don’t limit myself, I—” he stopped, letting a huff of air out through his nose, “I don’t limit myself. I’m just limited in general. I can’t do anything as incredible as Alec when it comes to my Element. He’s just…way stronger than I am. And that’s fine. He’s always wanted to be strong enough to protect his family, so it’s great that he can do that now. He doesn’t have to rely on me destroying things when he can do the same thing without turning everything in to ash and embers.”

He was happy for Alec, he truly was. Seeing him finally getting some semblance of self-confidence was truly a wonderful thing to behold after years of seeing his brother struggle with accepting his Element, of thinking he was incapable of protecting his family. It was just the traitorous side of his mind that kept whispering to him that Alec was strong enough now that he didn’t need Jace, after all, their friendship had started because Jace had offered to protect Alec’s family since he couldn’t.

Jace watched as Will listened to him, taking it all in as he processed the words. It wasn’t long before the older man offered a short nod before backing up against one of the cold concrete walls, leaning against it far enough from Jace’s flame that his face became shadowed.

Unable to read his expression, Jace assumed that the disappointment he’d been anticipating was coming forth after his confession. Jace scuffed his food against the floor, head dropping, “Look, I’m sorry that Luke and you went through all this trouble for me. I had no idea how limited I was until Alec started pulling all these amazing feats. We can still work on stuff, you and me, but just don’t be too disappointed if we don’t get much progress.”

Jace stopped talking after that, waiting for something, anything from Will to end the tensed silence that fell upon the empty room. His anxiety grew the longer he waited, wondering if Will was contemplating telling Luke that he was a lost cause, and he resisted the urge to send a pulse of energy in to his ball of fire to make the room bright enough to see Will expression.

Will finally cleared his throat, the sound ten times as loud in the echoed chamber, “Wow, you know when Luke told me that I was the only one who he could see being able to help you, I was extremely skeptical. Luke knows that I’m not exactly the world’s biggest people person, so I questioned his sanity a little when he asked me to ‘mentor’ one of his new kids. He only gave me vague details about you, but after hearing what you have said, and hearing everything unsaid in between your words…I think I’m beginning to understand Luke’s reasoning behind choosing me for this. That man is quite observant, I’m honestly a little put off at how well he knows me.”

Uncertainty started to creep up Jace’s spine, “What has Luke told you about me?” he asked, his anger coiling up again.

“Nothing invasive, if that’s what’s got you all riled up. He mentioned siblings, living on the streets, what your Element is…the only real useful detail I got out of him was that you have been struggling with who raised you. No names or description on that, but I have to assume it wasn’t Mother Theresa if it has worried Luke enough to mention it. You don’t have to tell me, but I have a feeling it may lead us to the root of your little problem,” Will said, shrugging one shoulder.

Jace thought about it, telling an almost perfect stranger about who had raised him and why, the thought at first making his shrink back. Then he remembered the other half of Luke’s request, an open heart. Jace kicked at a loose piece of cement, eyes still glued to the floor, “Valentine. I was raised by Valentine to be his perfect little soldier of mass destruction,” he almost growled out.

Will’s eyes lit up and a smile crossed his handsome features, “Well that explains everything! Oh, my friend, Luke is far too smart for his own good. Don’t worry then, Jace. You’re in good, if not perfect hands with me.”

Jace frowned, not expecting that kind of reaction, “Explains everything?”

Will nodded eagerly, “Yes, whether you realize it or not, you _are_ afraid of your abilities. And it’s holding you back. You aren’t the first mutant to be scared of what they’re capable of, and you certainly won’t be the last.”

Jace raised a skeptical brow, “Oh, really?” he didn’t particularly like how this man was so quick to assume he knew anything about him, but he decided to at least let him try. What did he have to lose after all?

With an enthusiasm that Jace wasn’t prepared for, Will came back towards him as he dug through his pocket, pausing a moment to catch Jace’s gaze, “Ah, Luke mentioned the streets thing, so I’m just going to give you a heads up that I’m pulling out my pocket knife for demonstration purposes, a teaching moment if you will. So don’t…freak out,” he said and finally pulled out his small swiss army too, flicking out the large knife.

Jace waiting, a little nervously, for whatever Will would need a knife for. Then he let out a faint noise of protest as he watched him slice open his own hand, the palm quickly filling with a pool of blood.

“Jesus, what the hell?!” Jace exclaimed, immediately patting down his pockets for something to wrap up the gash with.

Will however, didn’t seem to even care about his heavily bleeding hand, “Oh, don’t worry about a bandage. This is all a part of the teaching moment, I promise.”

“The fuck? What kind of mentor teaches self-harm?”

“The kind that can do this,” he said softly, and Jace followed his gaze back to his hand, watching as the pooling blood started to lift in the air, leaving the cut in the hand completely clean, only the severed skin left behind. It was a strange sight, just an open gaping wound, no blood gushing forth to fill the void like with any other injury that Jace had seen in his lifetime.

“This is my Element,” Will whispered, his voice barely heard even with the echoing walls around them, but it shocked Jace just the same as if it were a shout. 

“Blood,” Jace whispered just as softly, his eyes fixed on the rippling fluid held before them.

“Morbid, isn’t it? Who would have thought that this would be an Element to possess?” Will continued, morphing the blood before them in to different shapes as if made of water, “It’s because of this ability that I put myself in some self-imposed solitary state after my mutation had manifested. You know why?” he asked Jace, the fire light making shadows dance across his face.

“Why,” Jace asked, his voice somehow hoarse as he continued to stare at the dancing red liquid.

“Because it’s not every day that someone possesses the power to end a life with a mere flick of a wrist.”

* * *

 

Later that day, when Alec finally woke to the chirp of his phone telling him that Clary was texting him that they would all be heading to Cat’s in the next hour. He’d expected to have a warm presence of Magnus pressed up against his back, much in the way he’d gotten used to the last month or so, but instead his outcast arm only hit cold bedsheets.

Hearing the shower running almost took all his budding concern away, until he realized that the link that he and Magnus had running continuously between them was suddenly and very obviously quiet. Nothing was coming through on Magnus’ end, and Alec worried that maybe Magnus was closing himself off after last night’s emotional breakdown. The concern started to grow again, but a second chirp on his phone told him a deep heart to heart would have to wait. Madzie would be waiting for them.

Crawling out of bed, he sluggishly made his way over to the closet where some of his clothes had now taken residence, mindlessly pulling down a pair of jeans and some random shirt to tug over his head as he knocked on the bathroom door. At least he wouldn’t have to battle with Magnus over the shower, seeing as he had taken one last night, before they had left on their ‘interview’.

“We leave in 45 minutes, Mags,” he called through the door without opening it.

_“Be out in 20, Angel. Don’t forget to eat something. And bring coffee.”_

Alec smiled at the muffled reply, his heart warming over Magnus always being so focused on his well-being, constantly checking in to make sure Alec was eating enough. Sure, Jace and Izzy had fussed over him for years, hell they still fussed over him sometimes, but having it come from Magnus was somehow more tender and far less annoying than when it came from his siblings.

He pushed the feeling of affection that was surrounding him towards Magnus’ mind. While he wasn’t sure if the Psychic would feel it with his barrier up on his end, Alec couldn’t help but at least try before he slipped on his boots and trudged his way down the hall to the kitchen. 

* * *

 

When Clary had first told him that they were going to portal over to Catarina’s safe house, he’d kind of pictured that they would walk in to some small secluded cabin somewhere hidden, curtains drawn shut, and ten different locks on the door. So when Alec stepped through the shimmering tunnel of black, he was a little surprised to walk in to what appeared like a cozy and well-lit hospital clinic.

The room they had arrived in had two rows of beds lining each side of the wall, all but four curtains opened to reveal empty sheets. Various medical tools and instruments were tucked neatly away in corners and cupboards against walls, windows were wide open showing the early morning sun creeping through. Having lived in a hospital environment for a good chunk of their childhood, most mutants had a deep aversion to anything medical, especially anything resembling a hospital. Alec wouldn’t admit it out loud, but he was one of those mutants. However, seeing this clinic and knowing that Catarina was the one running it, he felt himself remarkably at ease upon entering.

As if summoned by his thoughts, Catarina suddenly appeared from behind one of the closed off curtains, a warm smile on her face, “Well, hello there everyone. Welcome,” she said as Clary, Isabelle, Magnus and Alec filed through the portal, “I’d give us about ten minutes before Madzie comes running in here. I made her promise to finish her breakfast and cleaning her room before she could come see you all.”

“How’s she settling in,” Alec asked seriously, a small wave of protectiveness flitting across his mind that made Magnus grin fondly at the Elementals’ parental instinct.

Catarina smiled over at Alec as she moved in to give Magnus a quick hug, “She’s settling in well, even starting to talk more as she gets comfortable around other mutants. Still constantly asking about you, though. She wants to make sure you aren’t getting lost in the woods again.”

Alec chuckled, “Not recently.”

“Well, tell her that then. No amount of me reassuring her seems to work, she still doesn’t believe me,” the healer replied wryly as she moved up to give the tall Elemental a hug as well.

“Cat, how are the Ferals doing?” Isabelle asked, craning her neck to see if she could catch a glimpse behind the closed curtains.

“They’re not dangerous, right?” Alec asked, thinking of the safety of the medical staff housed here.

Catarina sighed as she glanced over her shoulder, her eyes becoming sad, “Not at the moment, but I have no idea how Valentine’s control over them works. They could only tell me that they were given a serum multiple times to make it work, and that they can’t resist commands from Valentine or his men. It’s a complete mystery to me at this point, part of the reason I asked Luke to send you all over here specifically. I wanted Clary to see if she can sense anything that I missed. I heard that you, Izzzy,” she said smiling at the feline Feral, “have taken a shine to all things science-like, and I hoped that you may be able to help me run some tests to see what might be floating through their veins.”

Isabelle lit up at the mention of being able to finally put her new skills to the test. While her brothers had taken up mechanics as their choice skill for the team, Izzy had been drawn to the infirmary’s extensive array of analytical equipment and had already gone through over a dozen medical textbooks, much to Alec’s proud approval. Although, he could have done without his sister using him and Simon as guinea pigs, constantly tapping their veins for more blood samples to play with. Honestly, Alec was truly terrified for the day that she would be knocking on his door, not with the normal syringe, but a little plastic jar asking for a totally different kind of sample. He shuddered at the thought.

“Oh, does that mean that Alec and I are here for Madzie then? Or perhaps for decoration?” Magnus asked with a wink as he kept an eye on Alec who had begun poking at various vials and tools on the counter, his nose wrinkling when he accidentally picked up a suspiciously yellow sample jar.

Cat shook her head in exasperation, “Decoration? For you it would be more like a distraction, and no. I actually brought you two here for analysis as well. I was hoping that Alec to take a feel to see if he could find trace of anything plant like present,” Alec turned to her with a raised eyebrow, “You’d be surprised how much modern medicine is plant based. Figured we’d see if Valentine turned to natural means to get this result. And Magnus…” she paused, looking a little regretful as she bit her lip for a moment.

“Yes?” Magnus hedged, already pretty sure he knew what she was going to ask him about.

Her shoulders dropped, the worn purple scrubs wrinkling as she folded her arms over her chest, “I heard from Luke about how you were able to subdue these guys. They’ve been struggling with sleep and I wanted you to take a scan to see if it’s because of whatever Valentine has them all hocked up on, or…”

“Or if it was something I did. Yes, of course I’ll take a look,” Magnus said in a rush, a smile plastered on his face that even with the Psychics side of their bond shut off, Alec could tell was %100 fake.

They hadn’t talked much about it, Alec trying a few times to breech the subject only to have Magnus deflect or distract him in some way. Sometimes Alec felt like a dog that was trying to be attentive to his master, only for his master to throw a ball that Alec couldn’t resist chasing after. The brief glimpses he’d had of Magnus’ emotions before being brushed off had been little flickers of fear and shame.

Alec could understand the fear of losing control like that, but he wished that Magnus wouldn’t feel ashamed of it. He’d saved them all, despite the way he did it, and they had all gone home safe. Even the Ferals were out of the Circle’s grasp thanks to him. He just wished Magnus saw it that way too.

Unable to push anything comforting to him, Alec chose to instead to clasp on to Magus’ hand and gave it one gentle squeeze that was returned only a second later.

“Well, let’s get started then!” Cat said with forced pep, “Isabelle, I’ve already pulled a bunch of samples that are ready for testing. You’ll find them in the cooler over by the door. Alec, let’s have you take a look first, before Madzie comes to steal you away.”

Reluctantly, Alec pulled away from Magnus and followed the Healer behind the large curtain that hid the beds. Stepping behind the shroud, he took in the four occupied beds and the people that lay in them. There was one young woman with seemingly white hair, and then three men of varying age. All four of them still showed signs of the black veins that branched across their faces and necks, the only skin visible under the gowns and blankets. The sight of it made Alec shiver involuntarily.

Only the woman appeared to be awake, however Alec could see how restlessly the others were sleeping, the skin between their eyes pinched as if in pain.

“Who the fuck is he?” the woman asked suspiciously, a hint of fangs appearing as she spoke.

“Gretel, language. Madzie may come in here,” Cat scolded.

Alec cleared his throat, “Uh, I’m Alec. I’m here to help?” he said, looking over at Cat helplessly as the soft sound of growling filled the air, one from the bed and the other from the other side of the curtain. Without even looking behind the curtain he knew that Izzy would be flashing her eyes yellow, her own claws bared at the sound of someone making threatening noises at her brother.

“Alec, is a plant Elemental. He’s here to help me identify what Valentine used on you. Do you remember seeing him from before?” Cat asked gently.

Gretel turned her gaze back at Alec, regarding him as if trying to decide if he was a regular garden variety snake versus a venomous one, “He was there in the forest. We were tracking him, he had taken the target.”

“That’s right, he was one of the ones who helped take you away from the Circle agents.”

“You mean one of the team members of the mutants that attacked us,” Gretel snapped back.

“Odd, I seem to have a vague memory of being hunted down by you for over a day and then you all attacking us first, but whatever. I guess protecting ourselves and a small child, treating you medically, and giving you a safe place away from Valentine doesn’t warrant any trust,” Alec bit back gently, like a little nip of the teeth to remind a cub who’s boss.

It mostly seemed to work, as Gretel let herself slightly relax enough that Alec felt moderately safe enough to walk up to the bed, “Okay, so if you’re good…I’d like to start taking a look for Cat. It helps to close my eyes to concentrate. Can I trust that you won’t try to bite me?” he asked.

She shrugged, but Alec figured it would be as good an answer as he could expect. Closing his eyes, he began to reach out, trying to find any hint of flora.

First thing he felt was the pulsing presence of a few potted plants that he had seen sitting in the windows when they came in. They seemed content enough, but perhaps he’d remind Cat to change their soil before he left. Then he felt the hum of a garden outside, the flowers basking in the early morning sun.

But that wasn’t what he was looking for. He frowned as he pushed harder, willing himself to look deeper. He could feel the roots below them, he could feel algae growing in the pipes below, he could feel the leaves that ants had snuck in to their colonies…then he felt something. Barely perceptible, barely even a tickle on his radar. It was like seeing the ghost of a presence, not even seeing, perhaps only the echo of a breath. He couldn’t even be sure that he had really felt it there.

Maybe if he pushed harder?

He felt his mind go deeper, trying to catch that same sensation like a firefly in a jar. He was so distracted by his task that he almost didn’t hear Cat’s calling his name. It was only when he felt his body shake that he snapped back to reality, the firefly getting away.

“Alec, you okay?” Cat asked him, worry evident on her beautiful face. She had both hands on his shoulders, still gripping tightly.

Alec didn’t even realize that he was out of breath, already gasping for air. He could feel sweat begin to trickle down his spine.

“I—I think I feel something, but I don’t recognize it. Or maybe I do? Hell, don’t even know if I’m just making it up, I’m sorry Cat,” Alec gasped out.

Cat shook her head, brushing some hair out of his face tenderly, “Don’t worry about it, sweetheart. We still have lots that we can do to figure this out. Thanks for trying, now why don’t you sit down, and I’ll—"

“Alec?!”

“Is everything okay?”

“Alexander, are you alright?”

Both of them whipped their heads around to see Clary, Isabelle and Magnus’ worried faces peeking around the curtain, all concerned after hearing Alec gasping for air and Cat’s almost frantic calls.

Alec was about to open his mouth to tell them he was fine when a piercing scream suddenly filled the room, making everyone flinch and turn towards the source.

Gretel looked mortified, her wails loud enough to shatter eardrums as she tried to climb as far back on her bed as physically possible while still attached to several IVs. All of them were frozen in shock, not sure what was wrong, they didn’t even notice when the other three Ferals woke to the screaming, looking confused over at their comrade.

Then they turned to where she pointed with a shaky hand, screams now coming in hoarse with tears streaming down her face. The three men erupted all at once, all screaming in terror the moment their eyes fell on the group.

The moment their eyes fell on Magnus.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun dun dunnnnnn....


	8. Agony

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jace learns more from Will. Magnus and Alec talk, like good healthy couples should.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we're back! Thank you to all of my lovely comment/kudos friends who have stuck with me this far! You keep me going! :)

Jace almost felt mesmerized as he watched the floating morbid display before him. He was equal parts repulsed as well as captivated by the sight. The blood looked black in the light of his fire, making the sight slightly less nauseating, but the smell of copper still filled the musty room leaving no doubt to what the substance was.

“Fascinating, isn’t it?” Will said, his deep voice making Jace shudder, “Such a simple substance to control, but seemingly the only thing that my manipulations seemed to do is harm. Blood itself is a huge part of what keeps us alive, it’s a source of nourishment for cells, it’s something that people look to when defining themselves, it’s something others even judge upon. It exists in a controlled environment, the body, always working, always moving, not needing any interference beyond that of the heart pushing it along. So, what did that mean for me? If blood already had a direction, my ability was to belay that direction, and in doing so causing catastrophic harm to the individual.”

Jace continued to stare, listening and hanging to every word that Will said.

“Anyone who knew my mutation would know what I could do, even if I’d never hurt anyone before. They were cautious, much in the way that a lot of Psychics were treated at facilities, always considered a threat, always a danger. And not only did I understand their fear, I felt it too. I was terrified of what I was capable of, wondering what would happen if I ever lost control of my emotions. Would I end up killing all who were nearby? Would I accidentally kill myself? All of this was a lot to take in as a child, as I’m sure you understand,” he said with a wry grin.

Jace nodded sharply, his face going pale as memories of a ward on fire, children screaming in pain, flash through his mind.

“So, I never tested the boundaries of my ability. I rarely even let myself reach out to the Element I was bound to, too afraid of accidentally setting something off. On top of that I kept my distance from everyone, believing that as long as I never felt anything, for anyone or anything, I would never lose control of my emotions. I was safe. Others were safe…” Will moved his fingers and the blood changed shape, morphing from geometric blobs in to some semblance of a womanly figure, “And then Tessa and Jem came in to my life. She saw past my façade of indifference, and beat down my barriers with a bat despite my many protests. Damn stubborn woman wouldn’t leave me alone in my misery. And Jem…well his stubbornness rivaled my own, and I couldn’t possibly let him get away with that.”

Jace’s mind flashed to the faces of his siblings and to a certain red haired Psychic.

“I thought then that I would maybe use my ability to protect them, hurt those that hurt them, and it worked. During the Great Breakout Luke orchestrated I was able to take down every agent that tried to stop our escape. I could feel each and every last heartbeat of the men I killed, and it made me feel sick and I wondered how I could consider myself any better then the men I was murdering. And then Jem got shot as we were escaping,” he said, the weathered pain still lacing his voice as he spoke.

Jace remembered the gun being held to Alec’s and Izzy’s heads while Valentine taunted him, all those years ago. He could feel the tears stinging at his eyes as Will’s melodic voice continued to bounce off the walls.

Eyes haunted, Will stared off in to the nothingness of the room as the past played out in his mind, “So much blood, I could feel every ounce of it as it poured out of him. I knew he was dying, I knew the blood loss would kill him before we would have time to stitch him up. Someone who I cared about was dying, and I began to panic. It was the moment I had always feared, the moment my emotions would become too strong for me to handle. And…they were. My emotions took control, but instead of bodies dropping around me, do you know what happened?” Will asked him.

Jace sucked in a raspy and wet breath as he shook his head.

“The bleeding stopped. The remaining blood cells in his body started to replicate rapidly, enough to keep his heart pumping. The platelets gathered at the wound, further stopping the flow and starting the healing process. He lived. My ability saved him.”

And Jace blew out the breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding. He didn’t realize how drawn in he had been by the story until the liquid suddenly pooled back in Will’s hand, slowly disappearing as it seemed to be sucked back in by his veins before scabbing over. The spell broken, Jace finally met Will’s gaze again, noting the sympathetic look he was being given. He hated that look.

He’d seen that same look a thousand times from Alec or Izzy in those rare moments when he would admit that he didn’t like his Element, that he was too dangerous. Each time they would try to convince him otherwise, and each time he’d brush them off.

“Okay, you’ve said your story, and I get it. You let go and it turned out okay, that’s great for you. It really is, but my Element can’t heal anything. Fire is dangerous, I’m sure you’ve seen the pamphlets before. Or seen that every building in the world has something called fire extinguishers. You know why that is? Because fire is dangerous. I’m not running scared for no reason, I’m just using common sense,” Jace said harshly, not liking how a knowing smile was creeping over Will’s features.

“What about how the most primitive humans used fire to cook food, or boil water until it was safe to drink? Or how fire keeps people warm in winter, prevent hypothermia? Or what about old medical techniques of cauterizing a wound to stop blood loss? Not everything about it is dangerous,” Will pointed out.

“Well, I’m sorry if roasting a marshmallow isn’t enough to make me feel better about myself,” Jace bit out between clenched teeth. He was struggling internally, everything Will was saying made sense, but twenty two years of thinking otherwise was making near impossible to let himself revel in the slight hope that maybe his Element wasn’t as horrid as he believed. What if he was stronger than he though, he’d just been subconsciously holding back in fear of hurting someone?

It was almost too much for his brain to handle, so he just wanted to squash the little glimmer of hope like a fly before it started to buzz too loudly around his head. He couldn’t afford to try if it meant that he may have been right all along, that he was too dangerous to let go fully. He couldn’t risk it. He couldn’t risk them. He couldn’t risk _her._

Will watched the turmoil play across the blonde’s face, sighing when he saw a stubbornness that reflected a much younger version of himself. He should have expected that no amount of story telling would be enough to change his mind, it wouldn’t be that easy. This would take time, and possibly, would take that one true moment where all control was lost and unfortunately, that wasn’t something that Will could simulate in a lesson.

Will held back a sigh, not wanting Jace to think he was disappointed or frustrated, and walked over to his student. Gently, he rested a hand on his shoulder feeling the shivers wrack through the young man’s body. Luke had been right, this kid needed him and Will vowed to do everything in his power to help him.

“Let’s start off with some basics then, and we’ll go from there. You’ve got me for the entire day, so let’s not waste a moment.”

* * *

 

Without even stopping to think, Alec rushed past the others and grabbed Magnus by the arm and pulled the shocked Psychic away and out of the room. He had never been here before and had no idea where he was going, but he knew that he had to get Magnus out of there as quickly as he could.

Blasting through the double doors, he dragged Magnus behind them down the left hallway, only because the left hallway appeared longer. More distance was what they needed right now. He kept pulling and leading until finally they could no longer hear the screams. He didn’t know if that was because the screaming stopped, or because they were finally far enough away, but he was just glad that it was quiet.

With wide eyes, Alec turned to peer at Magnus’ face, his gut rolling at how pale he appeared. Carefully he reached up to cradle the Psychics face, hating that he almost flinched away at the touch.

“Mags, are you okay?” he asked gently, gently prodding at their bond to see if he would finally open it up for him to figure out what was going through Magnus’ mind. No luck though, the barrier held fast.

He saw Magnus’ lip twitch up in a sneer, “Am I okay? I’m not the one who’s screaming their throat raw at the sight of their torturer.”

“Torturer? What are you talking about?”

Magnus slapped away his hands, appearing disgusted, “I’m talking about what I did to them, why they’re terrified of me, why you should be terrified of me. Consciously or not, I tortured those people in the woods. It took a few days for the memories to return, but I know exactly what I did. I’ve always tried to control myself, but that episode just proved that I’m exactly what everyone was afraid of all along. I’m a monster.”

Alec’s mouth gaped as he tried to process what he was hearing. It just didn’t seem to compute in his brain that his gentle and caring boyfriend was now trying to tell him that he was a monster. He just couldn’t understand it.

“Magnus, I don’t know what it is you think you did, but—”

“I told you, I know exactly what I did!”

Magnus could see the skeptical look that Alec was giving him, and it only made him feel more angry at himself. While he never wanted Alec to look at him with anything other than love, Magnus felt guilty that here he was admitting doing something bad, and Alec was refusing to believe it.

Magnus took a step away from him, backing away as if avoiding being pushed physically, “Alexander, do you know what agony is?”

Alec frowned, “Agony? It’s like…pain, right?”

Magnus gave a halfhearted shrug, “Partially. Pain is a physical feeling, but it’s not an emotion. I can’t make people feel just pain because of that little fact. However…emotions can cause what the body recognizes as pain. A broken heart can actually manifest in chest pains. Betrayal can make your stomach ache. Agony…agony is the epitome of the worst emotional pain you can feel. Picture the pain of losing Max, of almost losing Jace, of your parents’ rejection, every moment in your life that brings you pain to think about thrown at you all at once. That is agony, Alec. And that is what I pushed on them back in the forest.”

Alec's mouth opened and closed a few times as he tried to process what he was being told, “But, what you did saved us. We’d all be in pods or worse if you hadn’t done what you did, they just got caught in the crossfire. I know the Ferals reacted poorly, but we can help them recover with time,” Alec pressed, his voice soft as he tried to push cool soothing feelings at Magnus that were quickly slapped away by Magnus’ mental hands.

Magnus shook his head, his nose wrinkled in self disgust, “I know it saved us, and I know that they will recover in time, that doesn’t mean that I don’t hate what I did. I—I never wanted you to see such an ugly side of myself,” he admitted, his gaze dropping to the floor only to be stopped by Alec’s hand cupping the side of his face.

“Magnus…” Alec whispered as he tilted his chin back up, “There is nothing ugly about you,” he said firmly, and with all the mental strength he could muster, he pushed the truth of his feelings at the Psychic, not ceasing at the initial rebound he met. He kept pushing and pushing until Magnus finally cracked the barrier open for the first time that day, letting himself be doused in all the love and affection that he could only hope that he deserved.

With a tender caress, Magnus swept a mental stroke of gratitude and echoed love over Alec’s mind as he wondered what he did to deserve such understanding. Why had he closed himself off from Alec? Why was he still so afraid to be rejected? In his heart, he knew the answer, knew of the damage that was still healing. Once again he started to wish he could give Alec the moon and stars, anything he asked for.

He knew though, that there was only one thing that Alexander would ever want, and he had suddenly found himself capable of supplying it.

Magnus stepped forward into the Elemental’s chest, immediately feeling the strong arms wrap around him, holding him close. He let himself be enveloped both mentally and physically for the moment, reveling in the safest place he’d ever been.

“Alec…there’s something else I need to tell you—"

“Alec!”

The sudden loud happy sound that filled the hallway startled the two mutants, but their shocked faces melted upon seeing a small figure dashing down the hall.

“Madzie! How’s my favorite little mutant?” Alec said as he bent down to lift her in the air, spinning her around as she giggled cheerfully.

“I smelled you and Magnus and found you here!” she said proudly as he set her cowgirl booted feet back on the floor.

The two men smiled brightly at her as Magnus stepped in for his own hug.

“I hope that the smell wasn’t too much, Sweet Pea, I was in a rush this morning and I worried that I may have splashed on a tad too much cologne,” Magnus joked as he bumped his nose against hers.

“Nah, I like it,” she said with a smile.

“There you all are,” came Catarina’s voice as she came down the hall, “I guess you’re going to hang with Madzie for a bit, Alec? Good thing we finished up with you first,” she joked.

Madzie nodded with such enthusiasm that her headband almost fell off, “I want to show him my toys!” she said as she grabbed two of his fingers to start dragging him down the hall. Over his shoulder, Alec gave Magnus a helpless shrug as he mouthed ‘We can talk later’ before disappearing through a door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember those helmets I told y'all about? You got them ready for next week?


	9. Bump

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clary gains a new power.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alrighty kids. Starting from this point forward, we're gonna have a bumpy and slightly traumatic ride ;) This is the start of the real plot lines! Let's do this!!!!

 

Magnus’ mutation didn’t need to be eyes in the back of his head to know that Catarina was currently standing behind him, probably with a sympathetic look on her face, waiting for him to turn around before starting in on damage control.

As it was, Alec had already beaten her too it.

“I’m okay, Catarina,” Magnus said as he turned away from where Alec had just disappeared to.

She gave him a skeptical look as if he’d just said that he was making a promise to forgo glitter from now on, “Really? Cause the Magnus I know would be a mess after having people cower away from him, even if it wasn’t really his fault,” she tutted as she stepped closer.

Magnus chuckled, reaching out to grasp one of her hands in his and giving it a soft pat, “And that Magnus is still present, but it seems like Alexander has beaten you to the role of Captain Comfort in this case. I may not be fine with what happened, but I am okay. Like the Ferals, I’ll recover in time.”

“Well, remind me to get Alec something better than a sweater for his Christmas present then,” she said warmly, thrilled that her long time friend had finally found someone who truly could take care of Magnus in the ways he needed.

Magnus let out a snort, “Actually, knowing him he’d be thrilled with a sweater as long as it didn’t include any tacky holiday accessories or embroidery on it. But besides reminding me that I am woefully behind in my holiday shopping, is everything okay in there now? Were you able to calm them down?”

“Yes, Clary is keeping an eye on things while Isabelle runs her tests. There is almost nothing to go off of at this point, and I can’t discharge them until I know the full effect of the serum used,” she said, frustration evident in her voice.

“Were the Ferals able to offer any insight?”

She nodded, “A bit. This serum is still a work in progress it seems, Valentine has several versions of it floating around his labs, but they all seem to work off of the same basis of rules. It takes several injections before it starts working, for example. And then, after it does work, they are compelled to follow any direction given to them by Circle agents and Valentine himself. There is a variance of severity too, like with Gretel and the others, they still had functional control over their minds, opinions, and bodies. They just can’t refuse a direct order.”

Magnus frowned as he took it in, wondering what could possibly make anyone do those things consciously while still fully cognizant, “Do they follow orders from you?”

Cat’s shoulders dropped as she shook her head, “No, and that’s the weirdest thing about this. It’s like they’re programmed to only listen to Circle goons.”

“That’s a little disturbing.”

“Very much so, especially knowing that there are even more severe treatments out there. Gretel mentioned one that turns some in to zombies almost, but they’re harder to control once released. At least with these Ferals they know that an order to kill can be specific to one person, one of those things…would just lead to a bloodbath,” she said, her voice low.

It was rather intimidating to think of the possibilities that this serum could mean. It was only by pure luck that they could see the black veins of the infected at this point, but surely Valentine would be trying to eliminate such a giveaway. He felt cold all over just thinking about what it would feel like to lose control, to become a puppet for the Circle while fully aware of what was happening. Magnus couldn’t help but liken it to being possessed by a demon. First the pods, and now this? Would the horrors ever cease for mutant kind?

* * *

 

It took a few minutes to sooth the Ferals, gradually getting them from open screaming down to huddled forms in their beds. Clary could see the weeks of exhaustion evident in the dark marks beneath their eyes, even their Feral stamina giving out after so long without a restful sleep. She found herself deeply sympathizing with them, but she couldn’t let herself feel too bad about it. She doubted they’d be getting much more sleep back in the hands of Valentine, unless it was in a pod anyway.

It wasn’t an ideal way to save them, but perhaps they’d be forgiven with the botched rescue one they figured out a cure for the serum. Clary could only hope that they came up with one sooner rather than later. Looking over to where Izzy was currently frowning at a printed page from the gas chromatograph, she worried it would maybe be later.

“You recognize anything helpful?” she asked, stepping in behind Izzy as she stared at the graphs various peaks. While she had no idea what she was looking at, she couldn’t help but squint at the numbers as if it would help her understand better.

Letting out a weary groan, Isabelle shook her head sadly, “Not really. All I’m getting from this is a possibly engineered organic substance, which makes it harder to identify and treat. You wouldn’t believe how hard it is to kill organic things inside an organic host. Sure, we could run bleach through an IV and kill whatever it is in minutes, but that would also kill the patient. This will take specificity, and even if we do identify the root cause of all this, that’s just the first step in treatment.”

“Damn,” Clary sighed, glancing back at the beds noting that one of the men, Bat as she recalled, was starting to struggling in his sleep again. Resolved not to allow more suffering than they were already under, Clary started to tug off one of her leather gloves.

Isabelle frowned, “What are you doing? I thought you didn’t like taking on mutations without permission.”

“I’ve already touched Ferals before, and you guys have pretty much the same stuff going on except for a few of the more exotic animal influences. These three are canine based, so I don’t expect anything new from what Luke’s given me in the past. I want to see if I can help them sleep is all,” Clary said, already walking over to the bed and placing a gentle hand on Bat’s forehead. She closed her eyes and thought of all the peaceful things she could.

Leaves falling from trees in fall, the trickling of a stream in the forest, the warm crackling of a fireplace in winter, a cup of hot tea while rain pattered on the window…Slowly, the twitching of his eyelids ceased and his soft whimpers turned to soft snores as his body went limp, trembling all but stopped.

Clary smiled and pulled her hand away before backing up and pulling the curtain closed behind her.

“That’s incredible,” Isabelle whispered in awe, “You may have the coolest mutation of all. How many abilities do you have anyway?”

Clary blushed and shrugged, “Ah, not entirely sure. It’s not as many as you’re probably thinking, I’m not a collector or anything. I mostly come by abilities through accidents or through friends. And really, my effectiveness with each ability is severely limited. I can’t even get more than a matches worth of flame up and going at any given time.”

Izzy elbowed her in the ribs gently, “Don’t sell yourself short, even a little spark is more than enough to get a real fire going anyway.”

The doors behind them suddenly swung open, and the two women turned expecting to see Cat returning, but instead a small figure ran in to the room as Madzie dove forward. She was followed closely behind by a frantic Alec looking like a frazzled mother trying to rein in his kid in a grocery store.

“Izzy, Clary!” Madzie giggled, first throwing herself at Isabelle for a hug while Alec winced at the loud voice. A quick glance to the corner at least made him feel moderately better seeing as the four Ferals in the beds were still asleep.

“Sorry, she wanted to see you guys and I didn’t get a chance to tell her you were busy before she’d already made it down the hall,” he apologized, hand scratching the back of his head in embarrassment, “I forgot how fast she could be, you know, being half Feral and all.”

“It’s alright, Alec. We’re happy to see her!” Isabelle said in between compliments on Madzie’s outfit.

Clary watched with a smile on her face as she moved over to where she had placed her gloves, but her movement caught the attention of a certain four year old who gleefully flung herself at the Psychic. The force of Madzie’s small body against Clary less than impressive stature almost sent them both toppling over. It was only her quick reflexes, one hand grabbing the counter and the other grabbing Madzie’s hand that kept them vertical.

The little mutant didn’t seem the least bit bothered by the near accident, already hugging Clary around her hips and chattering about her new Barbie. Clary on the other hand was eyeing where her bare hand had been clasped around Madzies equally bare hand. Both Isabelle and Alec noticed as well, both of them shaking their heads in amusement.

“Accidents and friends?” Isabelle asked with a raised eyebrow.

Clary rolled her eyes, “Well, I guess I’ll add telekinesis to my list now,” she said wryly, crouching down to greet the little girl properly. A new ability wasn’t always her favorite thing, it just meant something else to ‘master’, but she could at least see this ability as coming in handy. Who wouldn’t want the power to summon the tv remote from across the room?

She continued to think of the possibilities as Madzie finally let her go long enough for Alec to herd her back out of the room. She bet that Jace would be able to think of a few fun things to try out later, and that thought put a smile on her face until she tried to stand up from her crouched position, a wave of dizziness overcoming her momentarily.

It passed after a few seconds, so keeping the incident to herself, Clary went back over to Isabelle as the next set of results started to print.

* * *

 

Several hours later, results obtained and still no answers found, the team gathered once again to say their goodbye’s to Cat and Madzie before heading outside of the clinic. It was late afternoon by then and all of them were hungry and tired, and eager to return home.

Well, except for Isabelle. She’d insisted on staying at the clinic to help out for the next couple days, unable to leave when they still didn’t have any answers. While Alec had initially bristled at the idea of leaving his sister behind in a new place, Clary had assured him that if Izzy needed him then she would call and they’d portal him over. It took the final push from Magnus telling him that Izzy was in the best hands besides the Elementals own for Alec to finally agree to leave her behind.

Stepping outside, Clary waited until Magnus and Alec had stepped up behind her before she drew in a steadying breath. Throughout the day she’d had a couple more dizzy spells that were gone as soon as they occurred, so she’d kept her silence thinking maybe she just needed to eat a bigger dinner or catch more sleep. But her nerves were a little shot, having had trouble with using her abilities as well after an only moderately effective attempt to sooth more nightmares plaguing the Ferals.

She was actually a little nervous to create a portal, knowing that it was even more tiring than just a simple emotional push, but she schooled her features and mind, keeping any blips off of Magnus’ continuous emotional doppler radar and making sure Alec’s ever watchful big brother mode didn’t pick up on her frayed nerves.

Keeping her back to them, she mustered her strength before picturing her destination in her mind’s eye and then pulling at the space between herself and that place until it tore open before them, the portal mouth wide.

Alec and Magnus were too busy talking animatedly over Madzie’s tea party antics to notice the slight flickering of the portal, but Clary saw it and winced, mentally calculating the risk of letting them all use it. She stared for a moment, seeing it stabilize after a few seconds and she decided that it would serve its purpose.

“Ready?” she asked them, both of the men nodding before all three stepped through.

* * *

 

Normally the portalling was a little harsh on the stomach, leaving some momentarily queasy on the other side, but nothing horrid. After all, they were flying across time and space at a rate that would tear apart most atoms, it would be surprising if it wasn’t a little rough on the body. A little bit of being tossed around before being gently deposited on the other end, it wasn’t that bad.

This time though…this was bad.

The gentle tossing went from mixing a salad to turbo blender in all but a moment, and the normal half second travel time felt like it took upwards of a full minute. As the end of the tunnel finally appeared, Clary let herself be relieved it was almost over…until they were spat out on the other side like expired milk, all three of them slamming to the ground with enough force to rattle teeth and bones.

She wasn't sure if she lost consciousness or not, but she knew at least a minute or two had passed before her brain had stopped spinning in her skull long enough for her to even remember what a minute was. Her head spinning, Clary tried to orient herself, rolling on to her back and trying to gain control of her queasy stomach at the same time. Eyes clenched shut, she heard various noises around her. Birds chirping, leaves rustling, men groaning…

Cracking open her eyes, she turned towards the noise, blinking some dirt out of her lashes so she could spot Magnus, his brightly colored jacket being the first thing she noticed in the dimming late afternoon light. He seemed to be moving a little, a small comfort to know that the rough landing hadn’t killed him. He didn’t look as great as he normally did though, hair disheveled and scratches all over his normally flawless skin.

She probably looked just as bad, if not worse. She knew without even looking that her hands were shredded from catching herself on a sharp scattering of rocks, her wrists throbbing from absorbing most of the fall.

The second groaning male voice assured her that Alec had also survived, even if he sounded very displeased at that, “What the fuck just happened?”

_Yup, Alec was definitely alive,_ she thought to herself, wincing as she sat up, leaves and dirt falling from her hair and shoulders at the movement. The new view around her she could see Magnus crawling over to where Alec was crumpled at the base of a boulder, a large gash in his forehead bleeding steadily from where he most probably smashed it against the rock behind him.

Ignoring the twinges in his ankle, Magnus dragged himself across the ground to where Alec was trying to sit up, the blood from his forehead already dripping down far enough to start seeping in to his shirt collar. The sight of the gash just below his hairline making Magnus’ already unsettled stomach want to heave. He truly felt sick at seeing Alexander hurt, and it was a sharp reminder of just how hard and fast he'd fallen for the Elemental.

“Hold still, Darling,” he muttered while digging his tucked in shirt out from his pants and ripping off a large chunk, ignoring Alec’s protests at harming his wardrobe as he pressed it against the bleeding.

“It’s fine, Mags. It looks worse than it is, I promise.”

“Tell that to your concussion.”

“I don’t have a concussion.”

“You do if I say you do, shut up. Biscuit, are you alright?” he called over his shoulder, noting that she was using a tree to try and stand up.

She nodded and started to hobble over to them, “Is Alec okay?” she asked, guilt pouring off of her in waves.

Huffing, Magnus wanted to say that Alec was not okay and should be wrapped in bubble wrap at all times, but gently peeling away the fabric from the wound showed him that it actually wasn’t that bad, the heavy bleeding was already slowing down to a trickle and it wasn’t nearly as deep as he had thought. He sent up a thanks to whatever angel was keeping an eye out for his apparently accident magnet of a boyfriend before sitting back with a sigh, “He’ll be fine after I confine him to bed for the next week.”

Clary let out a relieved breath, “How about you?”

Magnus was about to reply with his obligatory ‘fine’, but Alec chimed in before he could even open his mouth.

“He’s favoring his left ankle. Probably just twisted since he’s actually able to move it.”

Nodding, Clary wearily sat down with them as they all took in their surroundings, wincing as she felt how sore she was all over.

“Do you have any idea what happened?” Alec asked her around Magnus’ arm where he still was holding the fabric to his forehead.

She winced guiltily, “I’m not entirely sure. The portal wasn’t super stable when I first made it, but it settled after a few seconds and I figured it would be okay. I must have been low on energy or something.”

Magnus glanced over at her, wondering if that was the whole story. He felt her holding back a little, but from what he could tell she wasn’t lying outright. He couldn’t help but feel a little annoyed that she thought it would be fine to use an unstable portal, or at least warn them about it before letting them walk through only to be unexpectedly shot out the other side like cannon balls. They were lucky their wounds were as minimal as they were.

The sticky feeling of Alec’s blood on his fingers was almost enough for him to ream her out right then and there, but he held back knowing that Luke would handle that on his own once they made it back to the house. Right now they just had to focus on getting home…wherever that was.

“Uh, Angel, I don’t suppose you have any familiar floral friends here?” Magnus hedged, not having any idea where they were.

Around his pounding headache, Alec reached out to mental brush against the nearby flora before giving a very small nod, “Yeah, we’re just a mile or two away from the house.”

The two Psychics almost melted in relief, fearing the worst when it came to portals. It would just be their luck to end up on another continent, lost once again in some unknown forest. Madzie would have very concerned if that were the case.

“Okay, let’s get ourselves home,” Alec said as he heaved his protesting body up, pulling Magnus gently up with him taking most of the weight off of his favored ankle, “Uh, no offense Clary, but I don’t think you healing anyone right now is a good idea if you’re energy is whacked out. I don’t think Magnus would appreciate a second foot.”

“Yes, please no,” Magnus said, face turning sour at the mental image.

She held her bloodied hands up in surrender, “No arguments from me! But how are we going to get back up to the house with Magnus down a foot? These woods aren’t easy to walk in.”

Alec smirked, his face shadowed as the sun set behind their mountain.

“Hey, Mags? When was the last time you had a piggy back ride?”


	10. Bruised

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The battered members of the team get patched up. Luke worries. Things get steamy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all! I won't be able to post next week, so I'm posting two chapters today. Enjoy!!!!! ;)

If they were going anywhere other than Cat’s, Luke would have been pacing up and down the length of the room, glaring at the open air waiting for the hint of a portal to appear. As it was, he was only pacing half the length of the room. They were late, all of them. His fingers twitched towards his cell phone again, resisting only because he had been scolded many times before by Clary over what exactly constituted “late”.

She did not believe that anything under 15 minutes warranted a phone call and five texts. She also did not believe that anything under an hour warranted five calls and thirty texts if Luke knew she was busy doing something.

Thirty minutes though, he wasn’t sure what was the appropriate amount in this case, so he’d stilled his finger before pressing on Clary’s number. He did consider being sneaky, and calling Jace’s phone but decided against it, not wanting to interrupt what was probably a rough lesson. The first one always was, just look at Izzy’s and Alec’s. Still though, Clary was supposed to have send a portal to pick up Jace soon, the sun was already set.

Maybe Alec though, if anyone would understand his need for a check-in, it would be big brother of the year. Luke let himself grin smugly as he pulled out his phone and pulled up Alec’s profile. Before he could hit the call button, the front door opened and he quickly hid the phone back in his pocket as he saw Clary walking through.

He only had a brief moment to wonder why she was walking in the front door when she could have just portalled in like she always did, but then he noticed her crumpled and dirty appearance. And then he noticed a hunched over and bloodied Alec waddling through the door with Magnus on his back, both looking thoroughly exhausted and equally as filthy as Clary.

“What the hell happened?” he asked as he rushed forward to help Alec.

Alec was breathing heavy, almost completely bend in half as he struggled the last few steps in to the room. He had no idea how hard this was going to be, the only people he’d carried like this were kids and he’d barely even noticed their weight. He had sorely miscalculated Magnus’ height and muscle weight when he had offered to do this for the trek back to the house. Not that he didn’t like how incredibly fit his boyfriend was, no he freaking loved those hard muscles. He just didn’t love having to heave it up two different hills on his back.

He could only nod his thanks as Luke helped Magnus slide gently off of his aching back, before he sat right down on the floor there to catch his breath.

Magnus’ face turned sour, “Oh please, don’t be so dramatic, I don’t weight that much.”

Alec’s only response was continued gasping for air as he lay back, arms weakly flopping to the ground. Well, that and a push of affection to Magnus, making sure he wasn’t really offended. Walking up those hills even without an extra burden would leave any normal person panting at least for a little while.

Luke helped Magnus as the Psychic hopped on one foot over to the nearest chair and settling down in to it while Clary kept close to Alec while the Elemental slowly caught his breath. As soon as Magnus appeared as comfortable as he could get, Luke sent a quick page to Simon who was probably still working in the computer lab, asking him to bring the first aid kit. That would get the kid moving fast.

“So is anyone going to tell me why you three look like you just tried to wrestle a lollipop away from a grizzly bear?” Luke thundered, looking at each of them in turn.

“Uh, that’s my fault. We were leaving Cat’s and the portal I made was a little wonky, so it spit us out a little ways from here in the woods. Violently,” Clary said, wincing as she spoke.

“What’s this about a wonky portal? Woah, you guys look terrible!” Simon exclaimed as he popped in to the room, a large white kit in his hands, “I think I’m seeing why Luke wanted me to grab this. Who’s first?” he asked.

Magnus wearily waved his hand in Alec’s direction, “Mine can wait. Fix his broken head first, he probably has a concussion since he seems to have no concept of weight at the moment.”

From where he still lay on the floor, Alec weakly raised his middle finger over in Magnus’ direction.

Despite the banter, neither of them were actually offended, their bond brimming with mutual worry for each other as well as Clary.  They weren’t alone either, Luke and Simon wore twin frowns as Clary retold the series of events during the day, finally revealing that she had a few dizzy spells during the day and knew right away that something was off with the portal.

Clary fretted around them guiltily while Simon dabbed gently at the gash on Alec’s brow and Luke applied some ice to Magnus ankle and pulled out an ace bandage to wrap it in later.

“I am so so sorry, I never should have let us use that portal,” she said for probably the tenth time, making Alec’s budding headache worsen. Simon didn’t think he had a concussion, and it only needed a couple stitches, so he was only told to take it easy for the next day or so, no missions. He was a little put off about that order…until a thrill ran through both of them at hearing that Magnus was also supposed to take the next day or two off, both of them trying to hide their smiles at the thought of some free time together.

Luke shook his head as he stood up from the floor, “No, you shouldn’t have. You all were very lucky that not only are there no worse injuries, but that you were dropped close enough to home for Alec to direct you all back. You’re off duty as well until we can figure out what went wrong. Until then, no using any abilities, and no leaving the house. We can’t risk something happening where mundane humans may see something. Get some rest, Simon will take a look at your hands after he finishes with the boys. Now, I have to call Dot and see if she’s available the next few days, and hopefully she can go pick up Jace where he’s probably freezing his ass off in some parking lot,” he said, pulling his phone out as he walked off, “If this keeps up I’m sending you to Cat’s.”

Alec watched as Luke stormed off, mildly put off by their normally calm leader getting so agitated.

“Can you stop frowning for like…a minute? Do you have any idea how hard it is to do stitches and lay a bandage down flat with you doing that?” Simon muttered.

Alec didn’t apologize, but he did smooth his features as he watched Clary sulk away, “Why is Luke so—”

“Why is Luke so pissed?” Simon hedged with a wince. Alec nodded.

“Mix of things, Darling. The one thing that Luke hates above all else is seeing those he cares about hurt, especially Biscuit. And now he has three of his people down for at least a few days. It’s a hard balance to keep, not wanting to put us in danger, but at the same time having an obligation to protect all other mutants. As a father and a protector he never wants to be mean to Clary, but as a team leader it’s his job to tell her when she’s messed up,” Magnus said softly, not wanting his voice to carry over to where the other two mutants had just walked off.

“Him not knowing why her powers are freaking out probably doesn’t help his attitude either,” Simon half joked, “Even I’m nervous about that. We rely pretty heavily on Clary for a lot of stuff, not just portals. I really hope this isn’t anything more than her needing a break or something.”

Alec was about to reply when he felt his pocket start vibrating. As he pulled out his phone, wincing at the large crack in the screen courtesy of their portalling adventure, he noticed it was Jace calling.

“Hey, Jace.”

_“Alec, can you find Clary and ask her to send that portal over? It’s been like…an hour of me standing here freezing my balls off and she isn’t answering her phone. I’d light up a fire, but I’m in a park and some mundanes are having like…some late night star gazing thing nearby. Don’t they realize it’s way too cold for that shit?”_

Alec bit his lip, looking over at Magnus helplessly, “Uh, sorry about your frozen man bits, but uh…Clary can’t send any more portals tonight, or tomorrow either.”

_“Why not, did something happen?” Jace asked, his frustrated tone now turned to worried._

“Um, yeah you could say that,” Alec muttered as he looked pointedly at the blood caked on his shirt collar and the dirt crusted under his nails, “She’s fine, we just had a little accident coming back from Cat’s.”

“Alec, stop moving, I’m not done cleaning the cuts on your arm,” Simon growled, and Alec quickly tried to shush the Molecular but it was too late, Jace had heard him.

_“Cuts?! How bad were you hurt, and don’t you dare lie to me. Fuck, I’m in freaking Massachusetts, it’ll take me hours to get home. Is Clary hurt too? Izzy and Magnus okay? Damnit, I should never had gone to this stupid lesson—”_

“Jace! Calm down, she’s fine, just some scratched up hands and her energy is apparently acting…’wonky’. And Magnus and I are okay, just need a few days to recover from some bumps. Iz wasn’t with us, she stayed with Cat to look over some tests,” Alec said, pausing and putting the phone down against his chest, Jace’s yells now slightly muffled, as he glanced over at Magnus, “How is Izzy going to get back here now?” he asked, concerned.

“Alec, jeez, I said no frowning!”

Magnus chuckled as he watched Alec do his best not to frown as the Molecular continued to fret over his numerous cuts.

“Don’t laugh Magnus, you’re next.”

Magnus laughed louder, before turning back to Alec, “Don’t worry, Angel. Luke said he was calling Dorthea, she’ll be our new get around guru.”

“I thought he said he was calling someone named Dot?”

“Same person, she’s the person that Clary got her portalling gift from in the first place,” he said as he pulled a smile on to his face, Jace’s angry yelling still coming from the phone, “I’m sure Luke is calling her now to go pick up Jace before he loses anything important to frost bite.”

“I don’t think you’re supposed to be walking on that.”

“And I don’t think you’re supposed to be thinking with your brain all bruised up.”

Alec rolled his eyes as he hovered around Magnus as they limped their way back to Alec’s room, “I’m almost positive it doesn’t work like that,” he mused as he pulled open his door and ushered Magnus over to the bathroom.

“Ah, excellent choice, Alexander,” Magnus said as he noted the direction he was being pushed, “We are far too filthy to get in bed now. Maybe your brain is getting better after all.”

Like everything else in the house, the bathrooms were as lavish as one could imagine. Large stand up showers, modern counters and sinks, and of course, one giant jacuzzi tub in each private bathroom. Large enough for two full grown men to fit perfectly in, Magnus noted.

“Quiet you, now let me get a bath going for you. I’ll take a shower after you’re done,” Alec said as he bent down to adjust the faucets, the room already beginning to fill with steam and the sound of water splashing against the tub. He was so focused on making sure he got the perfect temperature going that he didn’t notice how quiet Magnus had become behind him.

It wasn’t until the tub was already half full with perfectly hot water that he turned back to see Magnus standing there biting his lip and looking at his feet. Alec resisted the urge to frown, knowing that it would tug at the stitches uncomfortably, and got to his feet.

“Magnus? You okay?” he asked.

Magnus floundered for a moment, his mouth gaping as he tried to form the words that he wanted to say. It was a little unnerving, for someone usually as self composed and confident as Magnus to suddenly feel a little sheepish over what should be just a simple request. But this wasn’t that simple, was it? This request would put them back at the precipice of the step that they were only just getting to, but after the talk they had…perhaps he should just go for it? The worst that could happen is that he’d say no…

“Uh, I was just thinking that…that a shower wouldn’t be good for your stitches. You should take a bath,” he said, his heart pounding in his chest like he was still an adolescent talking to his first crush.

Alec mirrored him, biting his lip and glancing over at the almost full tub, “Yeah, I guess that makes sense. I’ll just use it after you’re done then,” he said and started towards the door until Magnus’ hand reached out to stop him in his tracks.

“Did you need something else? You know where the towels are and everything, right?”

Magnus shook his head, “No, I just…the water won’t be hot then. And it’ll be dirty, so I was just thinking that, well, what if…what if you joined me?” he asked finally.

If Magnus had not been a Psychic, Alec’s panicked expression would probably have ended things then and there on the bath idea, but along the bond they had it was more of shock, hope, arousal and an overwhelming _want_ that made Magnus smile. His grin getting even bigger when Alec eeped out something he couldn’t quite catch.

“Is that a yes?”

Not trusting himself to form words, Alec nodded eagerly, already moving to pull off his own shirt and tossing it in to the hamper. It wasn’t Magnus’ first time seeing him shirtless, but somehow the novelty of Alexander Lightwood and his glorious torso had yet to wear off, not that he thought that it ever would. Every inch of him was toned to perfection, lean and strong and oh so lovely. Alec had no idea what he did to Magnus, how each and every inch of him awakened some new found desire. Never before did Magnus think that wrists could be sexy on a man, but low and behold, there was Magnus getting aroused when Alec’s sweater sleeve rode a few inches up while grabbing for another book. It was like Magnus was some 18th century perv getting off on small glimpses of a woman’s ankle. Absolutely ridiculous, but then again, Alec had an absolutely ridiculous beauty to him.

As Magnus continued his inner crisis over his newfound love of toned shoulder blades, Alec had glanced up from taking off his boots to see Magnus pull of his own shirt, he felt like he could practically feel his own eyes dilate as they took in the creamy expanse of skin that still stole his breath each time he saw it. Every inch was so perfectly smooth it didn’t even look like it was real. And now he was about to see even more, and he felt himself begin to warm all over even before they got to the bath. How Magnus was able to hide all of that muscle under designer shirts and pants was beyond him. The amazingly broad shoulders alone should have been bursting through those tight silken shirts, and Alec kind of wished they did if it only meant a he could stare for a few moments more. Each small glimpse he’d had up to this point was like fire in his belly, and he craved more.

 But, seeing and touching were two very different things, and as Alec stepped out of his pants he realized that to fit together in the jacuzzi, they’d be touching. They’d also be naked. They’d be naked and touching.

Though thought made him a little light headed as blood began to flow to more southern areas.

“Do you want to go in first, or should I?” Magnus asked suddenly, snapping Alec’s focus away from the tub and back to where the Psychic stood on one foot, both of them now down to just their boxers. Magnus’ ace bandage and boots tossed away as well as he stood there like the most sexy flamingo Alec had ever seen.

“Um, either way is fine with me,” Alec said quickly, trying to appear somewhat together even if he was fully aware that Magnus could feel his nerves on edge.

“How about I go in first, you need to avoid splashing those stitches,” he said with a slight frown, his fingers ghosting over the bandage on his head.

It was difficult for Magnus to see Alec visibly hurt like this. Every time before something had happened to the Elemental it hadn’t resulted in blood spilling and was easily fixed with some rest. This time he would be stuck with the reminder for at least a week or two unless Cat came over to fix it up completely.

Alec noted his concern and gently pried Magnus’ fingers away from the bandage, kissing his knuckles before letting their joined hands fall to the side, “I’m okay, Mags. Just a scratch, but you can go in first if it makes you feel better. It’ll be easier for me to help you in and out anyway, with your busted ankle and all.”

“Right, yes, that makes sense,” he said, trying for casual as Alec helped him hop over to the tub. Perhaps it was also best for Magnus to go first, as he pulled off his boxers as casually as he could muster, after all it would help Alec feel more comfortable if he wasn’t the first one completely naked.

Magnus preened as he felt Alec’s reaction at seeing _all_ of him for the first time, loving the hunger and arousal that consumed the Elemental all at once. As he settled down in to the tub, he pushed on to him that same hunger that had been brewing in Magnus since the first time he saw Alexander in that shop.

Feeling emboldened by Magnus’ strong desires caressing his mind, Alec stripped away the last of his clothing before sliding in to the water, settling between Magnus’ stretched out legs. As he adjusted to the temperature that seemed far warmer than he had thought the water would feel, he couldn’t help the rigidness that fell over his body.

Not the fun kind of rigidness, although that wasn’t far behind, but the kind where he was sitting as still as physically possible, muscles taut and unmoving as he tensed up all over. This bath was supposed to clean them and help with sore muscles, but that wasn’t going to happen if Alec’s own limbs refused to move an inch.

“Hand me that sponge, Angel, I’ll see if I can clean the rest of this blood off of your shoulder,” he heard Magnus say behind him, his voice as gentle as his hesitant touch when he started to clean away the red flakes.

While Magnus had started off only wanting to get rid of any more evidence of Alec’s near miss from earlier that night, it didn’t stop there. He could feel the tension in Alec’s shoulders as he began scrubbing, but as the last bits of red finally streaked away in to the bubbly water, he could feel some of the tension leaving and the Elemental slowly begin to sink back in to the water until his back hit Magnus’ chest.

The thrill that ran through him from just that small bit of contact was almost embarrassing for someone with as much history as Magnus, but he let Alec feel it nonetheless, loving how that made Alec hum happily and sink even deeper. Lazily he continued to scrub down what bits of skin he could reach from his position, doing his best to keep away from the unseen equator that existed right below waist level.

“Do you want me to wash your hair?” Magnus asked softly, not wanting to break the comfortable peace they had reached.

“Um, sure I guess? Do I get to help you after?” Alec asked, hope on the tip of his tongue.

Magnus chuckled, his chest rumbling with the movement against Alec’s back making it feel like he was purring, “If you want to, I’d love that.”

Alec turned to give him a soft and sweet smile before settling back down in his lap, playing lazily with the froth of bubbles over them. Silence fell between them again as Magnus took his time to massage the shampoo in to Alec’s hair, careful to make sure no soap made it close to the stitches or bandage. It was soothing for the both of them, the earlier heat and excitement from moments before had simmered down to a bubbling roll, rather than a boiling pot about to overflow.

It wasn’t until he was halfway done with rinsing Alec’s hair that the silence and peace was broken.

“Hey Mags? What was it that you needed to tell me earlier? You know, back at Cat’s?”

Magnus’ froze.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good thing I'm posting another chapter today. I don't think you all would have ever forgiven me if I stopped there ;)


	11. Together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We learn more about Camille. Still Steamy.....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy! And friendly reminder to check the rating of this fic before reading this chapter!

The cold feeling that settled over Magnus set Alec’s nerves on end. Shampoo in his hair forgotten, he turned his body around quickly to face Magnus, wondering what he had said or done to make him so scared. He wanted to slap himself for ruining a perfect moment, but he was too busy frantically trying to get Magnus to look at him. He lifted one sudsy hand to cup Magnus’ chin, drawing back quickly when Magnus flinched away.

“Magnus, I’m sorry, did I say something wrong?” he asked, pulling his hands back in case maybe his touch wasn’t welcome anymore.

Meanwhile, Magnus was berating himself for forgetting so easily what had happened earlier that day. Perhaps being kicked out of a portal like drunken idiots at a bar may have rattled his brain a little more than he thought. And now here he was scaring himself and Alec with his reaction. He wanted to brush it off again, to finish out this small moment serenity that they had found, but he knew that no time would ever be convenient to bring this up.

Magnus pushed away the desire to get out and put clothes back on. He needed to bare all for Alec, not just in a physical sense. At least here they were alone. Sensing how apprehensive Alec had become, he held out his hand and waited until Alec’s hand slid smoothly in to his own.

“You didn’t say anything wrong, I’m just nervous and a little ashamed of what I need to tell you,” Magnus started.

“Magnus—”

“Shhh,” Magnus said gently as he placed two fingers on Alec’s lips, “Let me say what I need to say first, okay?”

Alec looked like he wanted to protest, but nodded and gave their joined hands an assuring squeeze.

Drawing in a deep breath, Magnus let his eyes meet Alec’s, “You know that I’ve struggled in the past with relationships, me trusting them, them trusting me, everything ranging from whirlwind romances down to flings to fill up the void in between, etc.” he drawled, watching as Alec nodded, not an ounce of judgement flittering through him, “And I know I’ve hinted at some pretty rough ones in particular, but there is one that stands out among them all, one poison apple hidden in a basket of rotting fruit, that has shaped me in ways that I’m not sure I’ll ever fully recover from.”

He paused a moment, trying to calm his racing heart before continuing, “Her name was Camille, and she was the first person who I truly believed that would love me completely, mutation and all. I adored her and everything that we could possibly be together. But because of that, I made myself vulnerable to her own mutation, the power of persuasion, and I didn’t realize until much too late that she was poison to me, that she used me for my body and my abilities. Since learning the truth about her, I’ve cast her aside and moved on trying to forget all about her. Even Luke has seen to it that new mutants avoid her after rumors started to emerge that she had done work for Valentine,” he paused, bringing his other hand up to clasp Alec’s between his, bumping his lips against the knuckles.

Magnus felt Alec’s gentle pushes comfort and love to him as he spoke, making his eyes tear up in gratitude as he gathered the strength to continue, “She’s what I couldn’t speak of that night, she’s what made me break down in front of you. I’ve been damaged by my time with her and I had hoped that you would never have to see or have anything to do with that woman, but I realized that…because of me, you’ve already been affected by her. It’s like I’m holding you with dirty hands…” he said sadly, his eyes dropping to the soap bubbles between them, wishing it could clean more than just skin.

The fierce denial that poured out of Alec was comfort enough to make Magnus’ heart flutter happily, but it was the tug of Alec’s hands, pulling him forward until he was crushed against his chest that finally warmed him body and soul. They sat like that for a few breaths until Alec gentle maneuvered him until they had fully switched positions, Magnus’s back now pressed to Alec’s chest.

Grabbing the sponge again, Alec began to drag it slowly over Magnus’s arms, working his way down until he reached the wrist, where he plucked his hand from the water and inspected it closely, making Magnus giggle.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about Magnus, these look perfectly clean to me,” Alec said, completely serious, “I think the only dirty person in all this is Camille, and that’s her fault.”

Magnus barked out a laugh, marveling for a moment of how easily Alec could seemingly put a balm on a sore and open wound that had been bleeding for years. A few words and Magnus felt like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders, feeling light enough to float.

“Alexander, that’s not everything,” he warned him, “there’s still something else that I need to tell you.”

 “Can it wait?” Alec asked softly, just as Magnus felt lips touch his bare shoulder, “If this is too much at once for you then it doesn’t have to be now.”

Magnus wanted to say yes, to cave in to the warmth that sat behind him and push everything away, but he knew that this was something he couldn’t hide any longer, not from Alec.

“She called me, Alec. Last night.”

Alec froze for a moment before Magnus felt his arms circle around his waist and hugging him close, “Are you okay?”

Magnus nodded, “Surprisingly, yes. I had been thinking of you when she called and I think you gave me the strength…to be sassy as fuck, and I never thought I’d ever be able to do anything but cower, before you came along anyway.”

He felt Alec chuckle behind him, his lips once again finding the skin on Magnus’ shoulder, “You gave yourself that strength, Mags,” he told him gently.

“Maybe.”

He felt Alec nudge him, his nose bumping against the back of his neck, “What else did she say? You still feel…apprehensive about something.”

Heaving a sigh, Magnus turned back to face him as he cupped the side of Alec’s face, “She told me that she wanted to make a deal. She wants relocation in exchange for information she has.”

Alec raised his eyebrow, making the bandage move with it, “What kind of information?”

“She says she knows where Max is,” Magnus said, his eyes not leaving Alec’s as he watched the myriad of emotions fly over his face as well as his mind, “But the problem is, Luke would have a fit and forbid us from working with her. He’d rather be safe than indebted to her. Me not hanging up on her right away is bad enough, we aren’t supposed to trust her. I’m not saying that her information is most likely a lie, because she honestly is very talented at getting credible facts to sell. I just…I’m saying that it’s a possibility that the cost for her services may be too dangerous to consider her a good source.”

The bathroom seemed to fall in to a stunned silence as Alec processed everything that this could possibly mean and entail. He could feel the joy at having a shimmer of hope when it came to retrieving his lost little brother. He could feel the trepidation as he realized it would involve, and then the pain as he came to some conclusion that Magnus felt he could guess at.

“We can’t trust her, can we?” Alec asked him, voice dour and bordering on disgusted.

Magnus shook his head, “No, not fully. She trades in information, favors and money, and is easy bought out by the highest bidder. The information she has may be true, but Luke would never allow her to be put in to our protection program. Not when she would be a danger to every other mutant we’ve ever saved. Not even if it meant the smallest possibility of getting Max back.”

At his words he felt the ongoing raw sadness that Alec had been carrying ever since finding out that Max was alive and still captive by Valentine. It pained Magnus almost as much as it pained each Lightwood sibling, and he hated that this small glimmer of hope had to be squashed so quickly.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t want to tell you at first because I knew there was no easy and safe way to approach her, but I had to give you the choice at least. I would never forgive myself if I hid away any chance at bringing Max home,” he said, carding his fingers away from his face and in to his dark hair.

He felt a soft push of understanding and gratitude before Alec dipped his head forward to rest in the crook of Magnus’ neck. Slowly he began to stroke up and down Alec’s long neck and in to his hair, sending soothing tendrils along their bond in the hopes to ease the raw pain. Here had been his chance to offer Alec what his heart most desired, but it had been squashed like over-ripe fruit as soon as the venom of Camille had seeped in to it.

“Magnus?” came Alec’s voice, soft even in the echoing room.

“Yes, Alexander?”

“Can we…can we forget everything for just tonight? Forget all the pain and suffering, all the stress and chaos…and just be us? I need a break from it, from everything, please,” he whispered, his voice cracking on the last word, “Just us. I don’t want to be anything else right now.”

Magnus was stunned for a moment, unsure of what he could possibly do to forget all the pain that life had thrown to them like a bouquet of rotten flowers, until he felt Alec’s fingers timidly trail up his sides, leaving goosebumps in their wake. Just as timidly, he felt the brush of invitation against his mind, a trail of desire and lust left behind like breadcrumbs that Magnus was all too eager to follow.

After months of their holding back from their less than innocent desires, Magnus wanted nothing more than to throw himself at Alec, imagining in his mind water sloshing to the floor and heated and frantic movements stirring up even more bubbles around them. However, that wasn’t what Alexander needed, it wasn’t even what Magnus needed. It was what he wanted perhaps, but what they both needed was the comfort of a loved one at it’s purest.

Both of them were stinging from raw wounds rubbed by past and present crashing against them, and they didn’t need any further roughness. Now was the time for gentleness, compassion, and tender touches.

So instead of letting his fingers clench and pull at the short strands of Alec’s hair as he cupped the back of his neck, he let each digit card through slowly as he eased Alexander forward so that he could pull him down for a passionate kiss that stole both their breath from their lungs.

As the kiss deepened he could feel Alec’s hands move in time with hesitant wisps of emotion mixed in with his growing desire, as if he wasn’t sure if Magnus would like where his hands were trailing as they eagerly sought out to touch as much skin as possible. The touches were too light, like Alec was afraid that maybe he would hurt him or do something wrong, and while Magnus knew that this was how a lot of beginners were, he knew a way to at least help Alec feel more confident.

Slowly he began to ease open their link, taking his time so as to not startle Alec or further overwhelm what was already a very overwhelming moment between them. Before, their connection was like having two tvs in the same house on at the same time, the sound always a little muffled yet loud enough to make out what was said and there would always be a second or two delay. But now that Magnus had stretched it further, each and every thing came through in real time, full HD, surround sound, perfect color and so very very real.

Alec gasped against his mouth, pulling back only an inch as he looked at Magnus, his pupils blown, lips swollen, wet, and red.

“Woah,” he whispered in awe, a grin making its way on his face as he felt the change between them, “Is that really what you’re feeling?” He couldn’t believe how incredible it was, he couldn’t make out what his hand physically felt like as he trailed it over Magnus’ spine, but he could feel each and every heated reaction it caused, like a flare going off with each new touch. It made him want to experiment with what else may make the Psychic pulse like that again.

Magnus nodded as he ducked his head down to start nibbling lightly at his neck, “We feel _everything_ the other feels, so don’t hold back, Darling. Do what feels good, and we’ll know right away if we need the other to stop.”

The eagerness started to build in Alec now that he had been given verbal as well as mental permission to roam, the hesitancy only fleeting in where to move next as the doors opened wider. Magnus couldn’t believe either of how easily Alec was offering himself back, eagerly even, no fear. It was the most unburdened that Alec’s mind had ever felt, despite the heavy atmosphere growing as the touches became more familiar, more daring.

Only a few moments in to their passion and Magnus felt like himself grow hard faster than he ever recalled before, and it had everything to do with the person who sat before him. That beautiful, incredible man who was the first to accept all of Magnus, body, mind, and soul. While Magnus may have shared a bed with many others, and done many different things with said people, none of it felt as intimate as this moment. Physical exposure was one thing to trust another with, but removing all walls of emotion between them was somehow even more daunting than standing fully naked in front of another. And here they were, doing both. The very thought had him aching in seconds.

It should have been terrifying, but it didn’t. It felt _right._

“Magnus, I want to touch you,” came Alec’s heated voice, his fingers dancing along Magnus’ hip bones, inching closer and closer, just waiting for that last consent before reaching out towards his goal.

The Psychic gasped in air, “Yes, please.”

Strong, long fingers immediately wrapped around his cock and he couldn’t bite back the moan that erupted from him as Alec’s hand started to work him in slow measured strokes. The soap in the bath made it just the right amount of friction to easily slide up and down, and Magnus couldn’t help the shudder that ran through him. While Alec used one hand to work his cock, the other was tracing a map over Magnus’ chest as if trying to catalog every curve and dip. The sounds of water splashing rhythmically sounded obscene bouncing off the walls, and he loved it every second, but he wanted more. He wanted Alexander.

His hands had moved from Alec’s neck to shoulders as the Elemental had begun stroking him, but now that just wasn’t enough. Every inch of lean muscle and smooth skin, that had been until now hidden under baggy sweaters and loose jeans, was bared before him completely. Well, save for a few bubbles blocking his view of _everything_.

“Alexander…may I?” he asked, his own hand traveling down the muscled torso only to pause right below the navel.

Those big bright eyes shot up from the shallow water and straight in to Magnus’ heart. He watched as Alec’s pink tongue flitted out to wet his lips as he leaned forward and started to kiss along Magnus’ jawline, leading back until he sucked lightly at the skin right below his ear.

_“Please,”_ he heard whispered in his ear, the lilt of begging in his tone making his own cock jump in Alec’s hand as he felt warm breathes panting against his hair.  

Magnus let his hand continue its journey down until his hand finally bumped against the base of Alec’s length, his fingers curling around him gently as he let his hand explore. He let his mind caress against the Elementals, checking for any microscopic doubt or anxiety, but there was nothing that felt anything but perfect.

He began to tug gently at first, trying several different motions until he found the one in particular that lit up in Alexander’s mind like a bonfire, pulling sounds from the Elemental that had Magnus jumping in Alec’s hand again.

As Alec’s increasingly talented hand started to become bolder, Magnus could no longer hold back the breathy moans that only served as to further Alec’s boldness. When he felt a thumb pass over the head of his cock he let out an emphatic, _“Fuck!”_ that brought a sly grin to Alec’s face.

He couldn’t have Alexander thinking he was the only talent around here, so he also swirled his thumb over the soft head and smiled wickedly as Alec almost came undone.

“ _Shit”,_ Alec croaked out as his body convulsed, half doubling over as a wave of pleasure washed over him. The moment was everything Magnus wanted and more, and they continued to trade off teasing one another as they tried to get the biggest reaction out of their lover.

With so many months of build up between them and the enormity of moment between them, it was only a few minutes before both of them started to breathe heavier, hands moving faster and losing their rhythm. The sound of water moving was now bouncing off the walls in a duet with the soft groans coming from Magnus’ mouth and the small gasps erupting from Alec.

They were cresting in to the moment where they new if they kept up the pace it would be over all too soon, but everything felt so amazingly incredible that they were no longer capable of stopping themselves anymore as they chased after release.

Alec buried his face in to the crook of Magnus’ neck, breathing in the smell of sandalwood, “Mags…I-I’m close,” he choked out, his gasps finally breaking up in to sporadic moans and whimpers.

He nodded, but Magnus knew that already, he could feel the pressure building and knew that Alec could feel the same in him, “Alexander, yes. Keep going,” he moaned back, loving and hating how wanton he sounded. He felt Alec’s hand move faster, the grip loosening so that his fingers would brush against the head with each stroke. Magnus was starting to unravel as he continued to pleasure Alec’s cock, his slow and gentle strokes becoming fast and urgent tugs.

“ _Magnus…,”_ he felt breathed against his skin more than he heard the words with his ears. It was only a few seconds more before Alec’s face buried further in to his neck, his face contorting in to a silent scream as he came in Magnus’ hand.

The climax of pleasure that breached over in to Magnus’ mind was the final straw before he came as hard as he could ever remember before, bright sparks of white dancing in front of his eyes as he half collapsed against Alec, both of them fighting to catch their breath.

The connection between them was still thrumming with contentment and love as they came down from their high, but in that moment their minds were full of nothing but each other, like an armor against all the hurtful things going on in their lives. They felt nothing but each other.

_Just us._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See you all again in a couple weeks!


	12. Tickled

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The morning after. Breakfast with the crew. Clary's condition turns...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! Hi!  
> I promise this story/series is still being worked on! I don't have as much time on my hands as I used to, but that doesn't mean I've lost my passion :) I was even able to complete the outline for the next story of the series last week, and I know for a fact that some people will be overjoyed at where we are going next with the plot!   
> Thank you to all you amazing readers for coming back and sticking with me this far! : -*

The next morning Alec woke with a smile on his face and a warm feeling all over as he giddily recalled the night before. Despite the twinge of pain from his stitches and the full body ache from their portal adventure, he couldn’t recall ever feeling better. It felt like his joy and excitement was trying to burst through his throat, caught only by him not wanting to make noise and wake the man beside him.

After their bath, Alec had helped a wobbly Magnus back to the bed, only bothering to dry them both with a towel before toppling under the covers completely naked still, too spent to go through the effort of dressing. Even now Alec could feel where Magnus pressed up against his back, the full length of his body meeting skin for skin down to their feet.

Alec tried to keep his breathing even as he wondered if Magnus would want to do anything when he woke up. Soft puffs of breath were ruffling the small strands of hair at the nape of his neck where Magnus’ face was buried, the rhythm remained steady enough that Alec knew he was still asleep, even without the muted sense of peace that he normally felt when the Psychic slept.

A little too stimulated to fall back asleep, Alec glanced around the room in a bored fashion. When his eyes fell on his growing collection of plants, pun not intended, he couldn’t help the slight blush that crept over him as he embarrassingly realized what he was seeing.

Every possible plant that was capable of producing some sort of flower was now lush with colorful blooms making his room look eerily similar to the flower shop he once worked at. Even worse still, he saw that there was a barely there dusting of yellow pollen on several petals.

_Well isn’t that fucking humiliating, you finally get laid and every damn plant in this house is puffing off pollen like horny teenagers,_ Alec thought miserably. He wondered if Magnus knew enough about plants to realize what all the flowers would mean when he woke up and he started quickly calculating in his head if he had enough energy to fix everything before he was able to eat breakfast.

“What on earth are you panicking about this early?” came Magnus’ sleepy voice.

Alec winced and bit back a curse, “Uh…can I plead the fifth on this one?”

Magnus sighed wearily, “If you must, but unless there is an immediate life or death situation at this very moment, you should really try to calm down. Think of anxiety as an alcoholic beverage, best had after lunch unless the situation truly calls for it.”

“Uh, yeah. Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you,” Alec said as he finally turned over so they could be face to face. Despite the simmering embarrassment, he couldn’t help but smile at seeing the man he loved looking back at him in his bed.

Magnus gazed at him fondly, hand reaching out to brush back Alec’s bangs, “Well, it wasn’t actually you that woke me unfortunately. It seems that Jace is _feeling_ especially loud this morning. I think you may need to go check up on him,” he said with a little disappointment.

“That bad?” Alec asked with a grimace.

Magnus nodded sadly, “Shame, really. I happened to have several plans involving you this morning, but…I’m not going anywhere. We’ll have plenty more mornings to enjoy later. Now, it feels like Jace is in the kitchen. Go ahead and join him, and make sure to eat something. It looks like you…expelled some energy last night, going off of the fact that it looks like spring arrived early and threw up in here,” he chuckled, kissing the tip of Alec’s scrunched up nose as the Elemental winced in mortification.

* * *

 

_“Achoo!”_

“Salut.”

“Thanks.”

“You alright?” Alec asked as he shuffled around the kitchen, “I heard you sneezing all the way down the hall.” Going for casual, he decided to get his breakfast gathered first, before laying in to what was bugging his brother. He ducked in to the pantry and started pulling down random packages as he tried to figure out what would taste good that morning.

Jace sniffed loudly from where he sat at the breakfast bar, staring down his bagel like it had insulted his hair style, “I’m fine, just been sneezing since I got back last night. I’d say it’s allergies, but I’ve never had this much issue with pollen in the middle of winter,” he said, his voice a little nasally, “You have any idea why the pollen is so bad today?”

The box of corn puffs that Alec had been holding dropped to the floor with a thud, several of the yellow puffs scattering over the floor as he dropped down to frantically clean up the mess, “Um, uh, no, I don’t know, but I can um, check it out later. I have no idea though, none,” he tried to say calmly, refusing to look up in fear of giving himself away to his brother.

He knew that Jace was looking at him, he could feel that gaze burning in to his back as he scooped up the stray bits of cereal. At least the activity allowed him time to school his features before standing up and walking over to the trash bin.

This time when he picked up the cereal box, his grip was tight enough to bend the cardboard a little as he went about prepping a bowl, “So how did your lesson go?” he asked.

The sour air that fell over Jace at the question was almost enough of an answer if he wasn’t a nosey, overprotective, concerned brother, “That good, huh?”

“It was just dandy,” came the bitter response.

Alec shrugged, “Well, you came back without any injuries, so you’ve already had a more successful first lesson than me. That’s got to count for something.”

“Yeah, I’m a real prodigy next to you,” Jace muttered distractedly as he looked over his bruised and cut up brother, “Speaking of injuries, how are you feeling? Looks like that time you tried to befriend that stray cat that was missing an eye.”

“That cat was technically our neighbor, she lived in the alley next to us and it would have been rude to ignore her…and I’m fine, and your deflection can’t fool me, Sparky. What happened that’s got you all defensive?”

“I’m not deflecting! I’m just checking in on my bro, Clary told me about the rough tumble and I wanted to make sure you were okay. Magnus too.”

“You see this?” Alec said pointing at himself, “This is my skeptical face, I’m sure you’ve seen it before. Despite this face, I’ll allow you the concern as long as you tell me if Clary is doing better this morning. Powers still ‘wonky’?”

Jace shrugged, “Her hands look like a she tried to pull a strawberry out of a blender, and she is still having some dizzy spells, but she’s insisting she’s fine…She did kick me out of the room when I wouldn’t stop asking her if she was okay.”

Alec was sympathetic to both Clary and Jace. He couldn’t imagine the stress he’d be under if his own powers suddenly started to go haywire. It would be like his own hands not responding to his commands if his connection to the flora suddenly wavered, and despite once being a mundane human, he no longer could image being without the constant humming presence in the back of his mind. At the same time, he also understood that Jace was just as lost and wanted to help, even if there was nothing he could do. Being shut away hurt, especially if he only had good intentions. Not to mention being shut away when Jace already appeared to be struggling with something else.

“I’m sure she’ll be fine, Jace. She just wants some space right now because she’s scared and doesn’t want to be reminded of what’s going on every time you check on her. She’ll come find you when she’s ready. In the meantime, I’m still here if you needed to talk about something…,” Alec hedged gently.

Jace sighed and pushed his half-eaten bagel away, “Did Magnus tell you I was in here brooding?”

Alec shrugged, “I don’t recall that word being used, but he did tell me you were in here. Like you, he is just concerned. I am too.”

“Well, maybe Clary isn’t the only one who just needs some space. I’ll…I’ll come find you when I’m ready.”

Alec suppressed a sigh, but nodded, “Okay, that’s fair.”

“ACHOO!”

Both Elementals jumped at the loud sneeze that erupted behind them as Luke and Simon entered the kitchen, the Feral wiping his nose sheepishly. Alec crouched back down to the floor to pick up the second spread of cereal he’d dropped to the floor that morning, grumbling as he started cleaning.

“Jesus, Luke. How is your sneeze so damn loud? I bet a flock of birds just flew out of the trees above us,” Jace exclaimed, his heartbeat finally slowing after being startled so early in the morning.

“It’s a Dad sneeze, I swear it’s a thing! Any guy in some sort of father figure role suddenly develops a super loud sneeze. My theory is it’s a biological instinct to scare off predators from their offspring,” Simon said, a he ducked past Luke and over to the pantry.

Just as loud as his sneeze, Luke blew his nose in to one of the many tissues he had sticking out of his pocket, “Sorry about that, I had bad allergies before I ever became a mutant and they just got even worse I got my Feral senses mixed in. It’s weird though, it’s never been this bad this late in the year,” he said as he sat down, his bloodshot eyes blearily staring ahead before he sneezed against, the sound actually hurting their ears.

Simon scrunched his nose before shifting a juice cup in to a pair of red earmuffs and sliding them on his head with a smile, “Alec, I don’t suppose you have any control over pollen, do you?”

A thump sounded through the room followed by several muttered Spanish expletives as Alec banged his head on the counter as he tried to stand up. They all stared at the counter under which Alec still remained hidden under, waiting until Alec finally sighed.

“I’ll look in to it after breakfast,” came the muffled reply.

Alec didn’t emerge from under the table until Simon started up some tangent, his friendly chatter filling the room with enough distraction that the Elemental finally felt safe enough to emerge from his cover, the blush finally gone from his face.

Seemingly giving up on his breakfast, Jace got up from the bar and grabbed some food and a water bottle from the fridge.

“You bringing those to Clary?” Luke asked, gesturing to the small mountain of snack that Jace was compiling.

“Yeah, figured she wasn’t ready to come out yet but she should be hungry at least.”

“Is she okay?” Simon asked, his voice a little too loud now with his earmuffs still on his head.

Jace shrugged, his eyes appearing to be glued to the fascinating water bottle label in his hand, “She’s upset she got Alec and Magnus hurt, and she’s still feeling a bit dizzy. Other than that she’s just as feisty as always.”

Luke’s shoulders sagged in relief, “Okay. I called Cat last night and Dot will be portalling her here in the next couple hours to check on Clary. Isabelle still wants to stay and keep an eye on the Ferals,” he said turning to Alec with a meaningful glance, “so no, she probably won’t be back today.”

Alec tried to hide his relief behind a casual shrug. There would be no way that his brilliant sister wouldn’t be able to put two and two together when she stepped through to smell all the pollen in the air when it was below freezing outside. Hopefully this little development would remain secret for at least a little while longer. If anyone ever caught on though before he could fix this new Elemental ‘quirk’ he’s pretty sure he’d never be able to have sex in this house again. Magnus would just have to deal with leaves and dirt in his hair or they’d be visiting a damn lot of motels in the near future.

Despite the less than thrilling discovery of the pollen induced haze of the house, Alec still couldn’t help the thrill that kept stirring in his gut each time he thought back to the night before. How perfect Magnus had felt, how amazing every touch was, how he ached for more even after they lay spent in the sheets afterwards, hair still damp from the water.

_Maybe Magnus would appreciate some breakfast in bed. He is supposed to stay off his feet today after all…_ Alec thought to himself as he got up beside Jace to begin gathering his own hoard of snacks. If anyone saw the too big to be nothing smile on his lips as he grabbed a few drinks, they didn’t comment on it.

* * *

 

_Knock knock._

“Clary? I brought you some food. If you unlock the door I can slip it in and be gone as fast as chocolate left out around Izzy,” Jace called through the door.

_“I’m not hungry.”_

Jace sighed and counted to ten mentally, leaning his head wearily against the wood, “We both know that’s a bunch of crap. When have you ever not been hungry in the morning? Last week I swear I almost lost a hand when I tried to keep you in bed after your stomach rumbled once. Besides, if this is all because your energy is low then food should help. Please, I promise I’ll scram as soon as you take the plate. Deal?”

There was silence on the other side of the door and Jace was beginning to think that she was purposefully ignoring him, but then he heard some shuffling that sounded very much like someone crawling out of bed. Then finally the door creaked open an inch and Jace caught a brief glimpse of wary green eyes staring down at the tray in his hands.

“I promise they’re clean, no meds, not even Alec’s medicinal tea made it on the tray,” he said with a soft smile, “So take it and I’ll be out of your hair.”

The door creaked open another few inches and he was able to get a good look of the mess that had crawled out of her bed. Even Jace, who truly believed that Clary was as stunning as they came even when drooling on her pillow in the morning, was a little shocked at the overnight transformation.

Only a few hours ago when he had finally returned home after portalling with Dot, he’d gone to see her and she had looked normal. A little banged up, but nothing like what he was seeing now. Her already pale skin was now as white as the fancy paper that she had purchased, and her eyes were as dull and lacked her signature spark, shadowed by dark circles around them. Her wavy red locks were limp and had already lost all luster.

His first instinct was to ask her if she was okay, but he physically had to bite his tongue as he remembered what got him kicked out of her presence in the first place. It didn’t stop his worry at seeing how quickly she had unraveled in the last few hours. It appeared like she had been suffering for a week from some horrid illness that was eating away at her.

She seemed aware of her own condition though, her eyes falling to the floor in shame as she noted Jace taking in her appearance. With her eyes still glued to the floor, she stepped back and waved her arm for Jace to enter.

Not wanting to give her even a moment to rethink the unspoken invitation, Jace quickly moved in to the room and settled the tray on her bed. He cracked open one of the water bottles and poured it in to the glass. He then fixed the array of food after some had shifted on his walk over. He knew he was fidgeting, just trying to draw out the moment before he would be kicked out again, but he was honestly afraid to leave her now after seeing how terrible she looked.

The last time he saw anyone this sick was when Alec had been in a coma for two weeks. The very thought of Clary being in the same position was enough to make him rethink his own pitiful breakfast. He didn’t know what to do. Turning to face her, she seemed just as lost, her lip bit between her teeth and hands pulled up in to the sleeves of her sweatshirt.

“Thank you,” she whispered, even her voice sounded weak.

“No problem, just let me know if you need something I guess,” Jace offered and hesitantly started to move towards the door, fighting against every fiber of his being telling him to stay and protect her.

He only got as far as her desk when he saw her knees buckle out of the corner of his eye. While he may not have been a Feral, Jace’s reflexes were still just fast enough to catch her just before her head hit the floor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ruh roh.


	13. Chaos

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Drama, angst, drama, angst...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again!  
> So happy to hear so many of you enjoyed the fluffy last chapter ^.^ On to more plot though! This is a shorter chapter, but I don't think you'll be bored with it. Thanks to all who commented/kudo-ed! It fuels me to write more!!!!

“Clary!” he yelled, pushing her hair away from her face so he could see if she was breathing.

“I’m fine,” she mumbled, trying to push away his fretting hands, “Just a little dizzy.”

“Bullshit, you almost gave yourself a split skull,” Jace shot back, relieved that she was still conscious and trying to brush off any help, however that relief was short lived as mere seconds later the water that he so carefully poured suddenly exploded out of the glass. Water splattered all over the room and the two mutants on the floor. Both sat there in stunned silence for a beat before Jace cautiously reached out to a shaking Clary.

Wiping the water off his face with one hand and pulling Clary up with the other, Jace tried his best not to look overly wounded by her actions, “Jeez, sorry I tried to help. I’ll leave, you don’t have to spray me with water like a cat jumping on the table,” he mumbled, head ducked as he moved to quickly leave the room, only to be stopped by Clary’s fingers digging sharply in to his arm.

He glanced at her face, her eyes wide in shock and fear and somehow even more pale than before.

“Clary?”

“I-I didn’t mean to do that,” she whispered.

Dread started to pool in his stomach, “What do you mean you-ow! Can you ease up on the claws?” he said, wincing at where her fingers started to feel like they were cutting through his sleeves.

Clary pulled back her hand as if she had received an electric shock, the movement causing Jace to gasp out in pain. They both looked at his arm where five deep punctures that were slowly oozing blood, staining the sleeve.

“Clary, since when do you have claws?” he asked, trying to keep his voice calm and level, even when he felt anything but that.

Clary looked as if she was about to start crying as she took in the raw wounds she had left on his skin and then shifted her eyes to where ten curved claws stood out starkly on her fingers, tinged in red on the tips, “I got them from Maia along time ago, I just never used them because I wasn’t able to control them well. I’m so sorry, Jace. I didn’t mean to hurt you. I don’t even know why they’re out! I’m sorry, I—”

She could feel the panic growing in her chest, the pressure building, constricting her lungs and it only served to make her more afraid. She knew she had to get control of her fear quickly, but at this point it was like a wild animal had been set free in her mind. The creature sensing danger and it’s instincts of fight and flight were in their own battle of wills.

Jace could see it too, he was no Psychic but he could feel the pressure in the room as the different energies that Clary was tied to all seemed to billow around them at once. It felt like he was in the eye of a storm, feeling the surrounding chaos that threatened the edges of the momentary peace, knowing that it was mere moments before the hurricane would hit.

“Clary, baby, you have to calm down, please! Just listen to my voice, you’ll be okay! Clary, please!” he shouted. He wasn’t sure what was causing the growing noise in the room, but it was starting to sound like a wind tunnel in her room despite the window being shut tight. Nothing moved like there was a breeze, not the easel with the charcoal drawing, not the various posters on the wall…but it did feel like every molecule was vibrating. He wondered absently if this was what Simon sensed on a daily basis.

“I can’t stop it!” Clary cried suddenly, tears now streaming down here face. How could she possibly be calm when her own body was rebelling against her? She’d already hurt Magnus and Alec, and now Jace too. It was all her fault and she could feel _everything_ around her respond to her panic, “Jace, leave now! I don’t want to hurt you!”

Jace shook his head, and her fear grew even more. Then she saw out of the corner of her eye as several of her art supplied lifted in the air and started to swirl around as if caught in a dust devil. Then a chair lifted and swung around the room, coming dangerously close to Jace’s head, the Elemental only just barely ducking out of the way before it hit.

The more chaos that erupted around her, the higher the panic rose. More and more object joined the tornado around her, some items whipping trough the room while others slammed against furniture or walls. She didn’t hear the door open, but she saw the others pour in to the room, Magnus leading them, his face showing his blatant fear for what he was seeing as the color faded from his skin.

* * *

 

Magnus had felt her lose control from the other side of the house, the shock of it making him push his alarm outward where it hit Alec from in the kitchen. The Elemental had quickly told the others of the push from Magnus and they had all run together to Clary’s room, Magnus meeting them there before ripping open the door. The sight before them enough to make even the strongest of people quake with unease. Now all of them stood in her room, Clary in the middle of it all. It was like entering another dimension, everything felt warped and the energy was palpable even to non-Psychics and Elementals.

“Magnus, what do we do?” Alec yelled, his voice barely overcoming the din.

Magnus looked over at them all helplessly, “I don’t know, her mind is too chaotic, I can’t get past it! I can’t Push anything.”

“What’s happening to her?” Simon wailed as he stared at where Clary stood. He couldn’t believe his eyes, Clary had never struggled before with her abilities being too strong. Normally she only struggled with making them strong enough to be useful. He didn’t even know she held this kind of power, but he could feel it in every single molecule in the room as it hummed loudly enough to make his ears hurt.

“I think she’s lost control of all her abilities, too many conflicting energies are being used at once and it’s causing everything to lash out. I don’t know how to stop it beyond waiting for her to exhaust herself,” Magnus yelled back, “It’s too dangerous to try and help her!”

But Luke didn’t like that answer. He couldn’t just stand by while he watched his daughter become a victim to her own powers. He had promised Jocelyn to keep her safe. Every instinct, animal and human, was screaming at him to save her. His desperation quelled any sense of self preservation, “Clary!” Luke shouted as he made a move to run to her only to be blown back by some unseen force, slamming against the wall behind him with a sickening crack loud enough for all to hear.

Magnus watched as Luke crumpled to the floor, unmoving, and he felt his heart lurch in his chest. Her powers were even rebelling against those she loved most. There was nothing she could do at this point if it had gotten this bad. He hated to think it, but their only hope was to let her use up her energy and pray that she survived the release. They all had to leave quickly, there was no telling how deadly that blast would be, “Simon, get Luke out of here!” Magnus shouted at the Molecular.

Despite his own all-consuming concern for Clary, Simon immediately complied, struggling to pull Luke’s solid weight out the door and down the hall to the infirmary. He could only hope that his best friend didn’t blow up the house before he got there.

Clary watched in horror as her own powers lashed out at the only man she’d ever considered her father, sending him crashing in to the wall. The fear grew knowing that she had no control left and that all her loved ones were in danger. Bile rose in her throat as she saw Simon drag Luke away, a trail of blood left in his wake. She was helpless to her own powers now, all she could do was lay witness to everything around her as the swelled and swirled like she was standing in the center of a cyclone.

As much as Alec feared for Clary, knowing that she was surrounded by her own body’s betrayal, he feared for Jace more. His brother was on his knees a few feet away from her, as if trying to sneak past. He knew that Jace would sooner see his own hand burned off than run away, and Alec couldn’t let him do that. Clary would never forgive either of them if he did.

He lurched forward towards where his brother sat at Clary’s feet, wincing when he felt Magnus’ alarm and worry for him blare in his mind like bellowing fog horns, and slapped his hands down on to Jace’s shoulder and gripping as much flesh and fabric there as he could as he started to pull him back. There was no resounding blast like what hit Luke, but Alec still struggled to pull Jace away. His brother was yelling almost as loud as Clary, but both voices were getting further drowned out as the chaos around them continued to grow.

It felt like he was in the middle of a volcano about to burst, the pressure to the point where he felt like he couldn’t breathe.

“Run, please! Leave!” Clary cried, her hair flying around her head like a gale force wind was blowing through it.

Jace was kicking and yelling right back, trying to free himself from Alec’s arms as he tried to pull them further away, “No! I have to help her! Let me go! Clary!”

“Alexander, we have to get out of here now!” Magnus urged, his body half crouched and ready to jump in to help Alec as soon as he was in arms reach.

He saw Alec make one strong lurch back, his and Jace’s bodies making it as far as the opposite side of the bed. They were almost close enough for Magnus to grab, just a little further! He tried to push as much mental encouragement through their bond, but he felt as though his fear for Alec may have overshadowed it.

He could feel Clary reaching the end of the rope, the apex looming over all of them. Threatening them. There was no stopping the forces around them now, not even if Magnus was able to wiggle his way past her mental barriers. He worried for her, but he also worried for Alec who was defenseless on the floor as he struggled to pull Jace away.

He felt Jace’s primal needs to stay with Clary, he sympathized knowing that if it were Alexander he’d be doing the same. This didn’t stop Magnus from momentarily wishing that Alec would give up and back away, or wishing that he could conjure up some kind of protective barrier. Anything to keep him safe. Anything. He felt his throat close up as he tried to match Alec’s progress across the floor against the time he felt they had left. Without a miracle, Magnus didn’t think they would make it.  

Alec could barely make out the words that were being screamed or whatever Magnus was pushing at him. His mind was focused on two things, getting his brother to safety and the energy pulsating around him. He could feel it get closer and closer to the precipice, like the timer on a bomb slowly ticking down the seconds. He knew they were almost out of time, but despite his desperation to pull back Jace so that all three of them could run, Jace’s desperation to protect Clary was proving to be stronger. Each foot Alec pulled them back, Jace would pull back harder, almost slipping from his fingers a few times. He didn’t know what to do, he couldn’t leave Jace, but he knew that Magnus would never run to safety without Alec.

He never got the chance to decide.

He felt the moment that the timer hit zero. He felt the briefest sensation of someone’s body covering his own before the blast hit and he felt nothing more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all, I think I'm allowed a few cliffhangers, right????


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team is left in the shambles, but Magnus may have an idea...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys. Wow.  
> First off, I am sooooooo sorry to leave that cliffhanger for so long, I swear it wasn't on purpose! I don't know how many of you are familiar with the weather in the States right now, but I was in one of those areas that got hit bad with rain and our house got flooded. We've been living in a hotel for three weeks ( a hotel that had a tornado touch down less than half a mile away a week later!) and they only just were able to get all the mold and water removed from our home, and we can't even move back in until insurance pays for the first floor to be renovated. We were moved in a hurry, so I didn't get to grab much beyond my family, pets, and some clothes. No laptop or story for three weeks o.O The withdrawal was real.
> 
> Everything is okay for now, we're all safe and our home is being fixed :) probably will be able to move back in another 3 weeks. I haven't been able to write at all, so I've got some serious catching up to do before going hog wild with posts.
> 
> Let's end the hiatus, on to the next chapter!

Catarina looked out over her small ward, each face she saw on each new bed added another stone weight on her shoulders. As a healer, she knew her limits when it came to helper her fellow mutants, but that did nothing to appease her soul driven need to take care of each and every papercut that came across her radar.

Her mutation was Psychic in its original nature, she could feel each and every injury and even some illnesses as they got close in proximity. She could walk down the streets of New York and her mind would tick off each ailment that any passerby had. That man had a blister on his foot. That woman had bruises hidden beneath her clothes. That child had playground scrapes on her knees. Thankfully her mutation didn’t end at detection. No, she would forever consider herself blessed that she could also heal with her mind.

She was also lucky that she only felt the presence, not the actual pain that others were feeling. But that didn’t stop her from feeling some sort of inner agony at seeing all the pale faces on the beds before her.

For years now she had been the first number that Luke dialed when one of his team was hurt, and she took that responsibility to heart. That team were all that stood as a defense between Valentine and all the mutants out there, they constantly were putting themselves in danger on a daily basis when they could have easily gone in to hiding years ago themselves.

How could Cat possibly not become attached to them?

It had only taken a few months after the mass breakout for Magnus to find where she had hidden herself. Ragnor’s contacts helped, but it was mostly Magnus knowing that Catarina would never be able to resist using her mutation for good. He had found her while she was working as a part time waitress to pay for her nursing school fees.

He’d introduced her to Ragnor, Luke, Simon and Clary. The two younger mutants were so young, but already enthusiastically trying to force Luke to let them help on the easy missions. She couldn’t believe their drive to help others like them. Like Cat.

Within a few hours of being found by the fledgling team, she had been given everything she could possibly have needed to finish up her schooling, money, a safe apartment, an ID that checked out, and she was able to quit working at that diner. They even offered to move her to a safe place of her choice once she had finished her exams.

It was then that she realized what she needed to do and where she needed to be. She asked for Ragnor to make a small clinic for her where she would remain available to any and all mutants that needed healing, including that of the team.

Years later, she still didn’t regret her choice and she never would.

She’d bonded with them all over the years in different ways. Her admiration for Luke was overwhelming, not just because of his leadership skills, but his genuine care that he held for all mutants. Magnus had always been dear to her, and she loved watching him grow in to the confident man he was today. Simon held a soft spot in her heart for remaining seemingly untouched by the life he had lived, his heart and his humor lifting their dour moods in seconds of him walking in the room. And Clary, such a sweet girl with unmatched ferocity to do the right thing.

And now she had three more kids on the team that she was growing attached to alarmingly fast. Isabelle was quickly becoming a new source for Cat to reach out to for advice in all things science and gossip, a true joy to have around the clinic even when they were elbow deep in blood samples. While Jace was a bit rough around the edges, the love he showed towards his siblings and teammates was more than enough for Cat to warm up to him quickly. And Alec, she already owed that boy more than she ever could pay back since making Magnus smile brighter than she had ever seen before. Not to mention bringing Madzie in to her life, her new calling as a healer and a parent.

Hundreds of lives were better because of the people here, and thousands more would be better in time because of them as well. That is if they didn’t collapse from the inside first.

Cat sighed as she wrapped her arms around herself, briefly giving herself a mental check to see if her energy levels had risen in the last hour, despite knowing that there was little chance of it. It just made her skin and brain itch knowing that her work wasn’t done.

She glanced to her left, seeing the Ferals sleeping under sedation for now. Isabelle was still working all hours of the day and night trying to come up with some answers, only pausing briefly to fret over her team when Dot had portalled with them early that morning, a very frantic Simon coming up the rear as they pulled through body after body. It had only been a few hours, but it felt like days had passed. Her bones were even aching as if she'd aged years. She had only just managed to get Izzy to get some sleep after they had both worked breathlessly to stabilize the patients.

Izzy was a whole damn lot easier than trying to distract Madzie away from the medical room. She had smelled them all come in. She had asked why Alec hadn’t come to see her yet. Then she had asked why she smelled blood. Catarina had nearly choked until Dot stepped in and asked Madzie to help her make some breakfast. Cat was still dreading when she would have to explain all this to the young girl later. She knew it was coming, an each moment longer she waiting just made it feel even more foreboding. 

After getting the full story from Simon on what had happened, they had set to work trying to prioritize who needed attention first. The sheer quantity of injuries running through her mind was enough to send most seasoned ER doctors in to a mental breakdown, but she couldn’t let them down.

Priority first went to the brain bleed that Luke had, the wall having cracked his skull upon contact. It was lucky that Simon got him to her in time, otherwise there would have been irreparable damage. As it was, his head was still wrapped in bandages and would be sporting some nasty migraines for the next few days until Cat would be able to fix the last of that mess. Izzy had wrapped it up tight until then.

She would have fixed it further if not for the others brought in. Jace had been covered in burns and bruises, the brunt of the blast hitting the front of him. He wouldn’t scar, not if Cat had anything to say about it. He was also damn lucky. That blast could have killed him easily. Still, that usually pretty face of his was a mess of blisters and peeling skin, quite the sight to behold. 

Alec and Magnus came in with similar injuries peppered over their bodies. She had tutted to an unconscious Magnus as she realized from the location of the burns that he had thrown his body over Alec’s to try and protect him from the explosion. His back and his arms were covered in deep burns, the tips of his hair singed much to his future dismay. Again though, he wouldn’t scar once she finished and the hair would grow back. She had even been able to heal up his ankle from his rather spectacular portal adventure only the day before. As it was now, he only had a few bandages left on him to prevent infection and had woken up an hour earlier asking where Alec and the others were.

Thanks to Magnus’ efforts, Alec wasn’t too bad off. Some bad burns had made their way on to his legs, but they were almost completely healed, the only reason he was still unconscious was because of the blast slamming his already damaged head in to the hard floor, this time resulting in a real concussion. He wasn’t far from waking though, something she had to keep reminding Magnus every few minutes. Her fellow Psychic had been dangerously close to being tethered down to his bed just to keep him from fretting over Alec and the others.

He had every right to want to fret though, Cat had to admit that. With a sad sigh, she glanced over to the last bed.

Clary was one hundred percent drained of all energy, the blast having rid her of ever last bit she had left in her small frame. It was a miracle that she appeared to only have the same cuts on her hand from the portal accident Simon mentioned, and only a few additional bruises from when she fell to the ground after the blast.

That wasn’t to say she was in good shape though. What was happening to Clary was far out of her capabilities to heal.

“She’s dying, isn’t she?”

Cat turned around to where Magnus lay, his bed strategically placed next to Alec’s. Cat had made sure to assign him there knowing that neither one of them would have stayed put if they had been on the other side of the room. He looked somewhat better, more color to his face, but she could see the deep seeded fear behind his eyes. At least now he was sitting up on his own.

Wearily, she made her way over to his bed, sitting down by his feet as they both looked at the bed that held their resident red head.

“She will die if we don’t find a way to fix the problem,” Cat stated, not one to sugar coat the important things.

Magnus swallowed hard, his Adams apple bobbing, “And what is the problem?” he asked, his heart aching in fear for the girl he considered family.

Cat stared across the room, watching the monitor attached to Clary, noting the weak life signs and that her IV would need to be changed soon, “Something I should have realized sooner,” she admitted guiltily, “I’m no geneticist, but should have noticed sooner the effect of Clary’s mutation on her own body.”

Magnus frowned, “What do you mean? Using other’s abilities has been hurting her?”

“No. It’s obtaining others abilities that has been hurting her,” Cat said, getting up from the bed to fiddle with the morphine drip on Luke’s IV. She carefully avoided looking back at her oldest friend, still finding it hard to accept that she possibly could have seen this coming and prevented something so catastrophic, “We tend to forget too easily that our abilities lie in science, not magic. You don’t use spells to read and alter people’s emotions, you just have the ability to manipulate energy to shift chemical balances in the brain. Simon isn’t a magician who can turn an apple in to a rabbit, he just uses his knowledge of physics to shift molecules in to different formations.”

Magnus frowned, confused at what she was getting at, “Cat…I already know this, please just tell me what’s going on.”

Cat sighed and clenched her eyes shut, “Our mutations come from various part of our DNA code being changed. Clary’s ability is for her brain to read the altered code when in contact with the DNA of a mutant, skin or blood contact, and then change her own to copy it. So, when Clary takes on a new ability, her code is changed further. This has been fine up until now. I think that she finally took on one too many alterations and so much of her original DNA had been replaced that her own genes are unable to support basic functions anymore. All her mutant genes are fighting for dominance now that they outweigh the normal human ones, and the unstable energies are resulting in things like that explosion. It’s only a matter of time before her own DNA falls apart and her body fails. Once her body recovers enough energy, she’ll probably cause another blast. One that I don’t think she’ll survive, or anyone else nearby for that matter.”

Magnus drew in a sharp breath at the information, unable to fathom what Clary must be going through and what would happen if they couldn’t fix this. He couldn’t picture a team without Clary there to smile brightly, to charge ahead like she had the forces of the angels behind her, to comfort anyone hurting.

Luke would crumble, he knew that much, and without him to lead them there was no doubt in his brain that the team would crumble too.

His mind flashed to when Jace, even knowing how dangerous his proximity to Clary was, refused to be pulled from her side and fought against Alexander to the very bitter end. The blood in his veins chilled at the thought of the same thing happening again, this time the blast possibly taking Alec and Jace away for real. The Lightwoods were far too loyal for their own good. Perhaps he was too, since he also had refused to leave the room, his eyes and heart stuck on Alexander up until the very last second when he leaped forward to try and save his Elemental.

He couldn’t lose Alec. He’d give his own life before he let that happen. He’d give Alec anything he asked for.  He’d give him everything he couldn’t ask for…

“Is there any way to help her?” he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

Cat gave a hardly perceptible shrug, “From the mundane human medicine I know of, there are no treatments for stabilizing DNA…but that’s public knowledge I’m drawing from. There is a whole treasure trove of new and unannounced genetic treatments that Circle Corp is sitting on, and there is a small possibility that they may have what she needs, but there is no guarantee. I wouldn’t even begin to know where to start looking for answers, and Clary has days at most.”

Letting out a shaky breath, Magnus nodded, his mind made up in seconds. He knew he had no choice in the matter, at least none that he would regret less than this one. Thankfully, he didn’t have any IV to hold him back, so he swung his legs over the edge of the bed, eyes already scanning the room for where his clothes and shoes may have been put.

Cat heard the rustling behind her and turned in alarm to see Magnus hopping to the floor, “Magnus, what the hell do you think you’re doing? Get back in bed this instant!”

“No time, Catarina, you said so yourself that Clary only has days. I may have a way to get you that information, I just need…my phone, where’s my phone? And while you’re at it, I’ll be needing Dorthea,” he said, already digging through various drawers around him. The first three he opened were just medical storage, but the fourth he found Alec’s clothes. He didn’t waste any more time digging, he just pulled out what he found and started to pull off his gown.

“Your phone, I—Magnus!” she exclaimed, covering her eyes when he finally pulled off the gown.

“Oh please, the mystery is already dead for you since you put me in that paper dress in the first place, just enjoy the show for now,” he muttered, already slipping on Alec’s jeans. They’d stay up, but he’d have to roll up the bottoms by a couple inches or else risk looking like a harbor seal as he flapped along looking for shoes. At least the shirt fit for the most part. He smiled brightly when he found his own jacket buried in the drawer and slipped it on over the black and grey Henley shirt, liking that it just so happened to match his studded red coat, “Phone, phone, phone…” he grumbled as he continued to look around, ignoring all of Catarina’s whispered protests, ever cognizant of the sleeping patients around them.

“Jesus, if I get your damn phone would you please tell me what you’re trying to do?”

Magnus turned to her and grimaced, “Ah, I’m a little worried that if I tell you my plan then you’ll try and convince me of what a bad idea this is.”

She put her hands on her hips and stared at him, “And what makes you think I won’t stop you anyway?” she challenged.

Magnus paused, his shoe only half laced up in his fingers as he looked up at his oldest friend, “Because we don’t have any other choice right now. This is the only way I can think of to save Clary and the team and…potentially someone else too. Please, Cat…just trust me.”

* * *

 

The phone rang, its vibrations interrupting what was promising to be a relaxing shower, but the name on the caller ID still brought a smile to her ruby painted lips. With delicate fingers, she picked up the phone.

“Magnus, what a surprise. I thought you said that you wanted nothing more to do with me?”

_“Save it, Camille. I’m calling to offer you a counter deal.”_

Camille smirked to herself, “Splendid, I knew you’d come around. How about we make a date out of it? You know how much I prefer to do our dealings in person.”

_“I am dismally aware of that. I’ll meet you where we encountered that equine Feral a few years back. One hour. You’re not there, or I sense anyone else with you…I’m gone.”_

“That doesn’t give me much time to get ready,” she pouted in to the phone.

_“That’s the idea. One hour.”_

_Click._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See ya all next week!


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Magnus meets with Camille

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back again! Sorry for the sporadic posting, it's been a wild ride for the last week. They finally stopped ripping walls and floors and whatever else out of our house and have just started to actually fix things! It'll probably be another month before everything is fixed, but I'm just happy to see things progressing :) 
> 
> Story continues! In about a month, I may find myself with a lot more time on my hands where I may be able to start writing more frequently, so I am super stoked for that on top of maybe moving back home!

Magnus could feel her presence ooze her way in to his mind before he even saw her sauntering casually down the alley. Even before he could smell that nauseating rose perfume she tended to favor. He had never been able to get a full read on her mind, her remarkable mental barriers having once been a thing he admired, and even now he could only get the general reading that she was indeed human, but nothing much besides that.

He set his own barriers up, as strong as titanium, to keep her mental claws away from his mind.

He only turned to face her when the clicking of her preferred Prada heels became loud enough for him to know she was now only a few feet away. He hadn’t seen her face outside of torturous memories in years, and he willed every muscle in his body not to betray him as he turned.

_This is for Clary. For Alexander….for all of them,_ he reminded himself before plastering the image of Alec’s face in his mind. As long as he kept the reminder of who this was for, he could get through this.

“Well, if it isn’t my sexy boy. I must say, Maggy, the years have been good to you,” Camille purred as she stopped herself just one step too far in to what most would consider their personal bubble, “Last I saw you, you were still whimpering like a little puppy who’s tail I stomped on. Now you almost look like a man,” she chuckled as she pulled out a cigarette and lighter from her purse. With a practiced ease she lit it and placed it between her lips, the dark red lipstick staining the paper.

Magnus rolled his eyes, careful not to let her words corrode against his carefully controlled barriers, “Isn’t that just a cute little coincidence. I was just about to say you almost look like a man now as well. May want to cut back on the cigarettes dear if you value your skin. Now, let’s get down to business, shall we?”

Camille smiled as she let a puff of smoke fill the space between them.

* * *

 

As the swirl of the portal closed behind him, Magnus couldn’t help but shut his eyes in momentary relief. It was done. He survived. He didn’t make a fool out of himself in front of her either, as far as he could tell anyway.

“You going to tell me what that was all about?” Dot prodded him as she too stepped out from the portal, “Cat looked about ready to drag you away by your ear before we left.”

Dot was a very sweet woman, and well meaning, but Magnus didn’t want to talk to her about what he had just done. It may have been the past or the current shame, possibly even a mix of the two, but he felt far too raw about everything to even know where to begin without sounding like a pitiful and desperate child.

He blew out a sigh, “Perhaps I’ll tell you about it someday, Dorthea. However, for now I must beg your discretion on this little field trip. If Luke found out—”

Dot held up a hand, “Okay, yeah. If Luke would lose his lid over this then I’ll keep quiet. For now…but Magnus, please be careful. Whatever you are planning, please don’t think you have to be alone in it. You have so many friends. Don’t forget that,” she said, her warm brown eyes looking deeply in to his own.

He couldn’t find the words to respond, but Dot was always able to read him like a book, so she gently squeezed his hand before walking away down the hall of the clinic.

Finally finding himself alone, Magnus’ body gratefully collapsed against the nearest surface, in this case the wall. Careful to avoid some of the more tender parts of his back, he let himself slide down the wall until he found himself seated on the cold floor, knees bent and hands dangling uselessly between them. The last day had been just another example to add to his growing list of ‘most traumatizing moments in my life’, this one carefully edging its way past the time Alec went missing in the woods, but still placing behind the time he thought that Alec was dead for 15 minutes. All of those still fell behind the day he had been told his mother had died, but he was starting to worry the ranking would be changing soon.

Starting from being shot out of a portal, then almost being blown up, and then topping it all off with a visit to his most regrettable ex…this was rounding out in to one fucked up day. Only one memory stood out to him as a high point in all this, and right now he was grasping at it like the edge of the cliff he was dangling off of.

Is this what Alexander had meant when he wanted to forget everything but them for a moment? He understood now completely. It wasn’t about hating his life. It was about just treasuring those small happy moment that made life all worth it, not letting the rough edges of their existence destroy any chance at joy. Alec could have shut down that night, left the bath and wallowed in self-pity. But he didn’t. He took what happiness he could find.

And now Magnus was clinging to that memory as if it was all that was keeping him from falling in to the waves of chaos below him.

He was so absorbed trying to replay each and every emotion that had flitted through their minds in that moment that he didn’t hear the doors from the medical room open, or the footsteps that got closer to his side.

He only opened his eyes to look up when he felt a gentle nudge at his mind, one of concern and relief carefully bringing him back to the present.

“Well, hello there, Angel? How are you feeling?” Magnus said as he looked up and down at the Elemental. He noted that Cat must have made some progress on Alec while he was out as he took in the fewer bandages wrapped around his head. Even the stitches from only a day earlier were now gone and all that remained was a half healed cut above his eye.

As if in some feat of physics itself, Alec was somehow able to settle down next to Magnus on the floor, miraculously bending his tall frame in to a small ball next to him. His arms folded over his bent knees, his chin resting on them. He looked just as exhausted as Magnus felt, but still somehow remained the most beautiful sight to behold.

“I’m okay, woke up to a killer headache, but Cat fixed that up once she had the energy. I feel even better since I convinced her to find me some clothes to wear. She said she must have misplaced them at some point, but I think I have an idea of where they might have gone,” he said softly, looking pointedly at Magnus’ legs. Magnus could feel the amusement in their bond, so he didn’t apologize.

He felt Alec’s eyes trail over him, probably trying to assess his own physical status as well. He tried not to flinch under the hazel scrutiny. Despite Alexander’s sweet words telling him that his hands weren’t dirty to him, Magnus still felt like he metaphorically sitting there dripping in some vile substance. How was he going to explain this to him? He’d know sooner or later.

“Magnus, are you okay?”

Magnus swiped on a quick smile, “Of course I am. Catarina would have strapped me down the bed if I wasn’t,” he joked lightly, bumping his shoulder against Alec’s.

Alec blinked, “Your jacket’s smoking.”

“Why, thank you, Darling. I thought so too.”

“No, Mags I mean literally. It looks like there’s a cigarette burn on the arm. Did you go outside to smoke? Have you always smoked? Is it one of those stress habits?” Alec said in a rush, using one bandaged hand to pat out the small burning hole. The small wrinkle that appeared between his eyes when he frowned appeared.

Magnus’ eyes widened as he glanced down to indeed see what Alexander was talking about, and he grimaced as he tried to come up with some reasonable excuse, and without thinking he had already slammed shut their bond, cutting off any revealing emotions.

Of course, that didn’t help his situation in the slightest.

Then the wrinkle between Alec’s eyes got deeper as his nose twitched.

“Magnus…why do you smell like roses?”

His heart lurched in his chest.

“Um, I…Does Catarina not wear perfume?”

Alec shook his head firmly, “We both know she doesn’t wear it because it would upset the Feral’s senses. Try again. Why do you smell like roses and why have you blocked the bond?” he asked, all amusement gone from his voice.

Dread worked its way up Magnus’ throat, tasting every bit like an animal had died in there. He wanted to spew out everything, but it was like some kind of glue had worked its way on to his lips. He knew that glue was probably that oh so sticky substance, fear. Fear of how Alec may react to what he had done.

He felt the same panic well up under his breast, the one that paralyzed him that night back at the strip club. Once again, he found himself cowering away from the possibility of facing judgement and rejection from Alexander. He felt sick.

Next to him, Alec watched the color drain from the Psychics face and immediately he softened his features and reached out to cup the side of Magnus’ face, “Woah, woah. Calm down, I’m not mad. I’m just worried that you might have been out alone while still hurt. That’s dangerous, Mags. Valentine is still looking for all of us, you shouldn’t be out on your own when you can’t fully defend yourself. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if you got hurt because I wasn’t there. Open the bond, please, you’ll know I’m not mad,” he prodded gently, desperate to do anything to calm him down.

It was hesitant at first, but after a few moments Alec felt the link slowly open between them. He tried to ignore whatever Magnus was feeling, allowing him a moment of privacy as he gather himself, and instead started focusing more on assuring him that he didn’t need to be scared of Alec.

He could feel how stiff Magnus was next to him, a stark difference from the normal lax and content posture he took whenever they were physically close, and the stiffness only marginally loosened as Magnus seemed to become a least moderately appeased that Alec wasn’t hiding his fury somewhere in the back of his mind.

Magnus pulled Alec’s hand away from his face, clasping it tightly between his own as if maybe a last-ditch attempt at keeping him from walking away, “I did something foolish, Alexander. Something that I still feel is necessary, but no less imbecilic. We don’t have a lot of time, and I felt like this was my only choice. Too many innocent people are suffering and I can’t stand by any do nothing when I have a possible solution.”

Alec’s eyes widened, unsure of what he was hearing. He never thought of anything relating to Magnus could ever possibly be considered foolish. He was too smart and cunning for anything like that, “It can’t be that bad, just tell me and we can fix all this together. Cat told me about Clary, I know we’re short on time, so let me help, please.”

“I went to talk to Camille.”

* * *

 

**_One hour ago…_ **

_“So let me just get this straight,” Camille said, her voice about as skeptical as it could possibly be, “You want me to use my abilities to trick one of Valentine’s hoards of geneticists in to revealing any possible cure for unstable DNA in a mutant. And on top of that, you also still want me to reveal Max Lightwood’s location, find out how to safely thaw him out like chicken tits for dinner, and all I get in return is half of what I asked for? Oh wait, I almost forgot! You want me to get this all done in the next day! Come on, Maggy. You can’t possibly think I’m that stupid.”_

_“Maybe not that stupid, but desperate, yes. I can’t offer you access to our safehouse network, but I can offer you new credentials, safe transport to any continent of your choosing, I hear Antarctica is lovely this time of year, lodgings in a remote area, and we’ll cover_ reasonable _expenses until your timely demise. I think that sounds fair for all the work we’ll have to do to save you from the snake pit you dug for yourself,” Magnus stated, firmly keeping eye contact as to appear confident._

_He watched her think it over, taking occasional drags from her cigarette. He used to beg her to quit smoking, but now he was rather pleased to see that she still held tight to the habit. Eventually it would eat away at her beauty, and she’d only have her winning personality to rely on. Well, that and her powers._

_“I’ll take your offer, but I want one more thing,” she said finally._

_Magnus rolled his eyes, “Oh, do tell.”_

_“A kiss.”_

* * *

 

**Present**

“You kissed her?”

Magnus gave a disgusted grimace, “Fuck no, I almost had to backflip out of the way to avoid her jumping at me, both of us almost fell to the ground. I must have gotten the burn in my sleeve when I slapped her arm away as she tried to grab on to me. The rose perfume may have transferred a bit when I shoved her off. I left after that, telling her to call when she fulfilled her end of the bargain. Anyway, how did you know it was rose scented? Isabelle doesn’t wear perfume.”

“Magnus, I’m a plant Elemental who worked in a flower shop for two years. Give me a little credit here.”

Magnus blushed, “Oh, right, sorry it’s been a long day and I’m still running off of the effects of those pain killers Cat gave me.”

Seeing Magnus blush for the first time was something Alec would never forget and he couldn’t help but smile at the Psychic, his grin getting wider as Magnus finally relaxed more next to him. Now that the “foolish” thing was out in the open and Alec had yet to cuss him out, he looked like a wary cat finally letting his ruffled fur smooth down.

“You aren’t mad,” Magnus hedged, almost sounding like a question even though he could plainly feel that Alec was indeed not angry. It was too good to be true in his eyes.

Rolling his eyes, Alec turned his body to face the Psychic head on, bumping their foreheads together after placing a soft and tender kiss to Magnus’ temple, “You’re just trying to help. And yeah, it’s risky, but we’re desperate. And…how could I possibly be mad when you’re literally facing your demons to help us get Max back? And to save Clary’s life? I’m just worried and a little upset that you felt you had to do it on your own. Going alone was more foolish than trying to help. Not to mention risking your life to save mine by acting as some human shield during a blast…” Alec scolded gently.

Magnus looked up at him startled.

Alec resisted the urge to smirk, “Yeah, Cat told me about that too. We’ll have that conversation later though. For now, let’s just focus on our current problems. Like, what will we do if Camille doesn’t call back? Cat, Izzy and Simon have been searching while the rest of us recover, but they haven’t come up with anything yet. Even if they do come up with something, there is no guarantee that we’ll be able to do it in time.”

It was a daunting thing to even consider. At this point Magnus had put all his eggs in to this one poorly constructed basket in the meager hopes that it wouldn’t crumble in his hands. As mind numbingly worried as he was for Clary, he was also worried about what would happen to the team if it finally did come down to Clary’s own abilities taking her out in a blast. Magnus was almost positive that Jace an Luke would be right there with her. And he shuddered to think that maybe…Alec would be there too, trying save his brother again. So much was at stake…was this really their only choice? Short of going to beg Valentine himself to save his own daughter and somehow magically convincing him not to keep her in his clutches, he was out of ideas. This was all they had.

 And that alone was terrifying.

“That bad, huh?” he heard Alec whisper hoarsely, obviously having felt the despair rolling off of Magnus in waves. He felt Alec shiver next to him, from cold or from the dreaded situation they found themselves in, he couldn’t tell. He released Alec’s hand only to turn and wrap both of his arms around the Elemental, pulling him tight against his chest in an embrace that stole the breath from both of them.

He felt his throat stutter as he tried to choke back the long sob that wanted to escape his lips, he hated feeling so hopeless knowing that Alec would feel every ounce of his despair. He wanted to reassure him, to offer comforting words, but they would have both known they were lies. He couldn’t utter anything that would help Alec or himself feel any less distraught, so in place of words he couldn’t say, he held Alec tighter against himself and pushed all the love he felt for the Elemental through their bond.

_Even as scared as I am, my love for you remains the same_ , is what Magnus’ push really said, and Alec understood it better than if it were spoken out loud. He felt Alec push back the same sentiment as his long arms snaked around Magnus’ torso, as if grounding himself with his presence.

“What are we going to do, Mags?” he asked, not really expecting an answer. He just couldn’t get the image of his friends and family all pale and burned in the beds down the hall. He felt just as useless now as he did when using every ounce of his strength in vain to pull Jace out of her room and away from Clary.

“Shh, shh…,” Magnus soothes quietly, moving his hand up to Alec’s head to run his fingers through his dark hair, “don’t think about it right now. Just give us five minutes, Angel. Five minutes. Just us.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Omg, my poor babies.


	16. Advantage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Magnus and Alec meet with Camille.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm here! I'm back!  
> Sorry about such a long delay. Our house renovations were a lot more chaotic than we thought they'd be and somewhere in the move from the hotel back to our house, the flash drive that held this story and all the chapters I had written just...disappeared. I was horrified since there was about 10 written chapters that seemed too daunting to try to recreate. Thankfully though, in the small pocket of one of my lesser used purses, I finally found it!   
> It's taking me a little time to get back in the swing of writing, but fear not, this series is no abandoned! I'll try to post as often as I can once I start generating more chapters :)   
> Also, thanks to all who commented during my absence! I normally would respond, but for whatever reason my inbox isn't letting me reply to anyone. Hopefully that fixes itself soon!

“Cat thinks Jace and Luke may be waking up soon,” Alec muttered quietly, checking to make sure he didn’t wake the Ferals or Simon and Izzy who slept in two of the spare beds in the medical room.

The day had almost completely passed with all of the conscious mutants brainstorming any alternative ideas of what they could do. Isabelle and Simon had nearly gone blind staring at computer screen, scanning continuously for any medical journal that maybe held some sort of knowledge that could be of help. In the end, they had found nothing.

Just like how Cat had tried everything she could.

Just like how Magnus and Alec thought about any and all possible ideas, coming up with nothing nearly promising enough to pursue while Magnus worked secretly on all of what he had promised Camille if she came through. Although the kidnapping one of Valentine’s coveted geneticists was still something Alec thought was a good avenue, he was quickly rebuffed by the others saying it was too dangerous to bring anyone associated with the Circle to the clinic.

Now they all were just…waiting. Useless as their time slowly ticked away. Alec _hated_ feeling useless. It reminded him too much of how powerless he used to feel when it came to protecting his family. It was getting late in the day and Cat had left to go make dinner for Madzie before putting the little girl down for bed. Dot had been busy keeping the second gen entertained and distracted all day, and she was already asleep in one of the guest bedrooms.

That left just Alec and Magnus conscious in the med room, both miserably sitting in uncomfortable plastic chairs. Alec between Jace’s and Luke’s beds, and Magnus’ by Clary’s.  

Magnus suppressed a groan as he rubbed a weary hand over his face, glad for once that he didn’t have any of his normal make up on. Surely, he would have looked a mess by now if he did.

“I’d rather they stay asleep a bit longer. At least this way they don’t have to sit around feeling like a moldy sack of maggot infested potatoes while their loved one slowly decays from the inside until she self-combusts in a blast that will surely kill her and all those nearby,” the Psychic muttered back darkly.

Alec glanced across the room at his lover, wrinkling his nose, “Benditas vacas santas, Mags. Macabre, much? Please don’t describe it to them like that when they wake up,” he scolded as he turned back to Jace’s bed, reaching out to hold his brother’s hand gently in his own. He felt a shiver run down his spine each time he looked at Jace’s face, still covered in burns that still blistered down his jaw and neck. He knew objectively that they would heal completely thanks to Cat, but there was still a nagging doubt that she wouldn’t get a chance. Not before Clary reached the end of her body’s capabilities and Jace ran to her side.

Alec wouldn’t be able to stop him, not even with his abilities since all it would take is on flick of his wrist to set all of Alec’s efforts ablaze. Even knowing this, Alec wasn’t sure if he wouldn’t still try…the only thing he could feel holding him back is the memory of feeling Magnus covering him a mere second before the blast, the memory of the seeing bandages poking out from his borrowed shirt when Magnus had pulled him in for that embrace.   

He was startled out of his own dismal thoughts at the sound of a phone vibrating on the table next to Magnus. The screen lit up in somehow a menacing way, only because they both knew that the only people to ever call Magnus’ phone were all present in the room. So there was only one real possible person on the other end. Both of the mutants stared at it for three rings until Magnus’ hand slowly reached out to pick it up.

“Bane,” he muttered in greeting.

Alec could hear the muffled sounds of a female’s voice on the other end, unable to make out any words, but he saw Magnus nodding occasionally to himself in what seemed like a positive way. At least more positive than all the other dismal looks he’d seen cross the Psychic’s face in the last day.

“Yes, I know the place. Thirty minutes, yes, I’ll be there,” he said, hanging up the phone and shoving it in to his pocket as if disgusted.

Alec tried to wait patiently for Magnus to speak, but the suspense was eating away at his gut like acid the longer that Magnus just sat there staring at some seemingly very fascinating and highly offensive speck on the floor.

“Did she get everything you asked for?” he asked hesitantly.

“She says she does,” Magnus replied, his eyes not moving from the floor, “But I guess I’ll just have to wait and see.”

Alec frowned, “You mean, _we’ll_ wait and see. I’m coming too,” he corrected, ducking his head down so he could try meet Magnus’ gaze.

A mix of panic and protectiveness sprang out from Magnus at his words, the Psychic almost shooting out of his chair as he stomped across the room towards a startled Alec, only stopping inches from the Elemental as he reached out to cradle Alec’s face in his hands, “I’m not letting you anywhere _near_ that creature,” he almost growled, “I will never let her touch a single hair on your head if I can help it. I don’t want her poisonous words to be uttered in your ears. I don’t even want to let her even look upon your face if it’s in my power. She doesn’t deserve to look at someone like you,” he finished tenderly, his voice on the edge of breaking as he buried his face in Alec’s hair, kissing the top of his head as he felt Alec start shaking it back and forth.

“No, Magnus, I can’t let you do this alone,” Alec said desperately, pulling Magnus’ hands away so that he could look him in the eye, “It’s too dangerous. We can look out for each other, we’re stronger together!”

Magnus could see the determination tinged with the distressed need for him to accompany him, and he had to admit that it was marginally safer to bring him and he also wanted it with every fiber of his being…except that one big fat fiber that screamed at him to never let Camille breath the same air as his Elemental.

“Alexander, I can’t. I—”

Alec shook his head harder, stepping back a foot as Magnus tried to sooth him again, “Don’t fight me on this, Magnus. If this is really our only hope at saving Clary, saving our team, and…and saving Max, then you can’t put yourself in even more a risky position just to spare me from meeting your ex. I’m not as fragile as everyone seems to think I am, so please don’t treat me like a child that needs to be sheltered,” he bit out, his breath coming out in harsh pants as he finished.

Magnus gaped at him. Was he treating Alec like a child? Alec was after all still quite young and inexperienced in some aspects of life, but did Magnus take his protectiveness too far? Guilty he wondered if perhaps he had been a little rash earlier.

Alec’s face softened a little as he watched the Psychic deflate a bit, “Is it something about her ability? Are you worried that she’ll try to manipulate me too?”

Magnus thought for a moment before letting out a soft chuckle, the sound startling even himself, “Actually, I never even thought about that until now. You may actually be the safest person from her abilities she’ll ever come across,” he said in surprise, “I can’t believe I didn’t think of that sooner.”

Alec’s eyebrows shot up, “I am?”

Nodding, Magnus started to walk quickly towards the door, “Indeed. Now go get whatever you need, Darling. I’ll go wake up Dorthea. We’ve got a date with a snitch.”

* * *

 

“Okay, I’ll take you there, but can you please tell me at least a little of what’s going on in case something happens?” Dot asked, frustration growing in her normally sweet voice.

Alec and Magnus exchanged glances, coming to a decision wordlessly.

“We’re…meeting with an informant who may or may not have a way to help Clary,” Magnus said vaguely gesturing in the air as if to distract Dot from his sever lack of information he was sharing.

Dot looked at him unimpressed, arms crossed over her chest as she stared at him blankly.

“It’s Camille, isn’t it?” she asked accusingly.

Both men’s eyes widened in shock.

“Oh my god, it is? Magnus, Luke’s forbidden any contact with her, she’s dangerous!”

Magnus placed a finger on her lips, shushing her as he quickly checked the immediate area for any presence besides them, “Please, keep your voice down. I am very aware how stupid this is, but I think you can agree that desperate times call for idiotically desperate measures, right? You said that I have friends, and that is why I’m bringing Alec along, okay? I’ve told him about her, so if you think about it…he will be the safest around her,” he whispered.

Alec watched as the stream of thoughts ran in tandem with the expressions on her face, starting at upset and then shifting multiple times before settling on some sort of reluctant understanding.

“Fine, but if something goes wrong and you don’t call for me after thirty minutes, I’m telling the others so we can come save your sorry asses,” she hissed back, “And I’m only letting you do this because Alec is going too. I don’t believe for a second that Camille won’t try something on you.”

Magnus shrugged nonchalantly, “And stupidity loves company. Besides, Alexander and I could use some more quality bonding time.”

Alec grimaced, “I know I’m new to this whole dating scene thing, but somehow I don’t think going to exchange information in a life or death situation with you ex can ever count as _quality_ bonding time.”

“Fine, just bonding time then. Shall we, my Dears?”

* * *

 

Dot’s portal delivered them about five blocks away from the desired location. While it was a pain to have to walk that far in the cold wintery air, it would help Magnus have enough time to scan a larger radius around them as they got closer, trying to pick out any suspicious auras.

Normally this was no big deal for him, especially since they were in a less populated area of the city, but Magnus didn’t want to take any chances with Alec’s safety and he was pushing his normal scans as far as they could go. He could feel a small headache coming on after the first two blocks, but he didn’t pull back.

 Not for the first time he cursed the limited range that his ability, and most Psychic’s for that matter, had. At best he had a good read on a block and a half range. Anything past that was muted and fuzzy, like a nearsighted person trying to make out the blurry faces of those at a distance. He felt like he was mentally squinting, desperate to identify anyone who would try and harm them.

Despite his own posturing insistence earlier, Alec wasn’t entirely sure how useful he’d be if something went wrong. He just knew that if something _did_ go wrong, at least he’d _try_ to protect Magnus _somehow._ They were in the part of the city that Alec and his siblings used to live, the small section mostly filled with forgotten and crumbling apartments and abandoned buildings. There weren’t any city kept trees decorating sidewalks, no small outdoor gardens, not even potted plants in the windows. He may have had a couple seeds in his pocket that Simon had ordered for him, but he’d only just begun training with those.

He could tell that Magnus was nervous next to him, he could feel the tremors along their bond and he wished there was a way to sooth them, but Alec himself was too nervous to even attempt it. He felt like he was going in to this blind, and it scared him because he knew how much was riding on this meeting.

Max’s, Jace’s, Luke’s and Clary’s faces kept flashing in and out of his vision, reminding him what was at stake, and he was starting to feel the pressure building inside. And he knew Magnus felt the pressure too, perhaps even more so.

A frigid wind cut through the street, one that even Alec’s leather coat couldn’t shield against, and the Elemental’s shoulders drew up as he shivered, “Hey, Magnus?”

“Hmm?” Magnus replied, sounding a little distracted.

Alec noted the small shivering under Magnus’ velvet coat and moved in a little closer, so their shoulders could touch. It wasn’t a lot of heat to transfer, but Magnus felt grateful anyway, “You said earlier that I was the safest from Camille, and then you told Dot and she seemed to agree, and I’m just a little confused as to why you guys seem to think I’m useful against her. If my ability can be used against her, shouldn’t you tell me how?”

A quick swirl of amusement flew across the bond as Magnus smiled, still looking beautiful under the harsh muted yellow of the dying street lights, “Oh, that, yes I should probably explain. Don’t take this the wrong way, but you being an Elemental means that you’re naturally a bit more…sensitive than others, you _feel_ things more potently. You're...emotional, no offense.”

Alec shrugged, “None taken, I already knew that. What does it have to do with her though?”

“Well, her ability is the power of persuasion, and it works wonders to get what she wants by shifting various levels of chemicals in the brain to make others want to do anything for her. _However,_ this works best only if there is some sort of pre-existing spark of affection or attraction for her to get a jump off of. Reluctantly I have to admit that she is very undeniably attractive, and that gets her a leg up on almost every man she meets, and not to mention a hefty amount of women. The more pronounced the attraction, the more she is capable of manipulating you,” Magnus said, his jeweled fingers flashing in the dark as he waved his hands around. He didn’t sound particularly upset, but Alec knew that he was speaking from a very painful experience.

“So, she used your love for her to gain that amount of control over you? To make you do things you’d never do normally?” Alec asked gently, hoping that he didn’t hit any sore spots in Magnus’ past.

Magnus swallowed hard before nodding, “Yes, but fear not. I see her for what she is now, and her hold on me is gone. There is not an ounce of love left in me for her. And, going off of the absolute loathing feeling I get from you whenever I mention her name, she won’t have any love to work off of from you either. You feeling hate so profoundly towards her is a wonderful perk of being an Elemental. And again, don’t be offended…but your sexual preference eliminates a whole other foothold of hers. You’ll be virtually untouchable. She’ll hate you, and I’m absolutely thrilled.”

Alec nodded, impressed and a very satisfied that he’ll get to at least have an advantage over Camille going in to this.

They’d need every advantage they could get if they were going to make this work.

**Author's Note:**

> Wondering if people are starting to think I'm part of the vendet--I mean...problem.


End file.
